Changeling's Deceit
by twilighteve-writes
Summary: People were disappearing from a small town on North-East Area borders, and Edward and Alphonse were sent to investigate it. Between being accused as the dog of the military and a faeling, this mission hadn't been fun for Edward at all. But then all stakes went higher, and all fell to Alphonse's hands to deal with. Because Ed, too, disappeared.
1. A Single Daffodil

Chapter One: A Single Daffodil

* * *

 _Daffodil symbolizes regard and chivalry. It is indicative of rebirth, new beginnings and eternal life. It also symbolizes unrequited love. A single daffodil foretells a misfortune while a bunch of daffodils indicate joy and happiness._

* * *

Morning sunlight seeped through the green semi-transparent curtain. The room felt strangely fresh this morning, but the woman standing by the door paid it no heed. She made a beeline to the crib where her baby lay sleeping.

She sighed with relief when she saw how peacefully her baby was in the dreamland. It was rare that he slept through the night, normally he would cry at wee hours out of hunger or need to change his diaper.

Well, who was she to refuse a good night's sleep?

She hummed a tune to a lullaby while her hand reached to touch the baby's cheek. Then, suddenly, just before her finger made contact with his skin, the air around it rippled. To her horror, she saw her baby rippling along with the air, like a broken image above rolling waters.

When the ripples were gone, so was her baby. In its place was a log of wood about the size of the child, covered with moss and dirt, still on the bed as if mocking the young mother for mistaking it to be a sleeping child.

The woman screamed.

* * *

"Is this a joke?"

The colonel in blue leaned in his seat, smiling tiredly. "Unfortunately, Fullmetal, no. Believe me, I'm hoping that it is."

Edward Elric glared at Roy Mustang. "But people being kidnapped by fairies? Are you for real? How can little people with wings that _only exist in fairy tales_ kidnap people?"

"I don't think they can, Fullmetal. How victims' families describe the perpetrator isn't something that I can control." Roy's voice sounded a bit annoyed, now. "For some reasons all of them believe the culprit are fairies."

Edward skimmed the papers. "Cute," he grunted. "So I need to look for tiny people with butterfly wings. Seriously, Mustang, if this is a prank – "

"As much as I like making fun of you, this isn't one of those instances, Fullmetal." Roy glared. "I've got better things to do than to fake documents to make you believe that fictional creatures have been stealing people."

Edward sighed. "Right, you're too lazy to do that anyway. But why is this case assigned to me? This reeks of people trying to make a laughingstock. 'Hey, look, that's the Elric kid! Let's make him chase fairies like a like a baby he is!' Not funny." He caught the sheepish look Roy sent him, and his eyes went wide. "Wait, are you serious? Someone did say that?!"

"Calm down, Fullmetal," Roy said. "No one actually said that, though it might be implied in their action. Have you checked the location yet?"

"No," Edward admitted, immediately moving to search for the name of the place. "Uh… Faeburn? I haven't heard of that place before."

"It's a small town north to Posterim," Roy explained, "and its location is right at the East-North border. No train goes directly there, you'll have to reach that town through Posterim. The Northern Command had as much say as the Eastern does in this case. Apparently they thought this is a joke and gave the case to us. To you, specifically."

Edward gave an ugly scowl. "Who's the one who said that? Let me punch their lights out."

"It was a Brigadier General, Fullmetal. You'll be signing your death warrant if you actually do that."

Edward slumped in his seat. "Doesn't make me want to punch them any less."

Roy smirked. "But this is actually a good opportunity for you to make a name for yourself, don't you think?" Upon meeting Edward's questioning gaze, he elaborated, "They think you're a kid, so they're making fun of you by giving you this ridiculous mission. This is an opportunity to prove yourself to them."

Edward's eyes strayed away from Roy's. "Haven't I done that numerous times already?"

"Yeah, you weren't named the Hero of the People for no reason." Edward's eyes met Roy's again. "We can't help the fact that you _are_ very young and many people will still think of you as a little kid." The colonel smirked. "Add to the fact that your height is…"

"Are you calling me short, Colonel Bastard?!" Edward roared instantly.

"Oh, someone's temper seems to be especially _short_ today!" Roy teased. "I see that you're a _little_ ticked!"

"Stop calling me little, you goddamned Colonel Bastard!"

Roy was openly laughing by then. "Let's check the case file first. I haven't really taken a look at it either."

Still scowling, Edward opened the file. "People of all ages disappearing in their own house… changed into logs of wood or rocks?! What the hell?"

"The people call those logs and rocks 'stock'," Roy elaborated. "Apparently it is a type of something they call 'changeling'. Do you know what that is?"

"'A child believed to have been substituted by fairies for the parents' real child in infancy'… Child? But there are teenagers and adults missing, too." Edward's eyes scanned the paper and narrowed. "All female, with the exception of children under seven."

"Apparently it is believed that a human should be the one milking the fairies' babies or at least be the one taking care of them." Roy twirled a pen in his fingers. "A female human, that is. People also say a midwife is needed to bring a fairy child to the world. Some even say that human milk is necessary for a fairy child to survive."

"How do you know all this?" Edward asked suspiciously. "You never come across as the type to enjoy this kind of fairy tale."

"If I'm throwing you headfirst into this kind of case where you might be the one going missing later," Roy lifted his brow and stared straight into Edward's eyes, "I might as well tell you."

"Eh, fair enough," Edward shrugged. "But fairies? Come on, Mustang. They aren't real."

"Well, the townsfolk seem to believe they're real enough to kidnap people. Whoever did this needs to be knowledgeable about it enough to convince people that fairies are the ones doing this. Knowing about the creatures themselves should help."

"Alright," Edward nodded, seeing the logic behind Roy's reasoning. "But you haven't told me the most important thing. What can ward these fairies off?"

"Iron," Roy smirked. "Steel is preferable. If these creatures really are real, you'll be more than safe, especially considering a seven foot tall armor will be coming along."

Edward gave a grin. "That's true, isn't it? It feels good to have safer mission every once in a while. Why can't you give me more of these kinds of mission?"

Roy shook his head. "Don't take this too lightly. All kinds of mission have dangers. We wouldn't want to scare the kidnapper and have them running away before we can catch them."

Edward nodded. "Don't worry. I'll do this one quietly."

"Alright then. Just to be clear, your mission is to catch the kidnapper and find the missing people." Roy's eyes were downcast. "… or whatever is left of them."

"Roger that," Edward's tone was grim. He understood perfectly what Roy meant. "After I'm done with this I expect to get a long time off to do my research, you hear me, Mustang?"

"That can be arranged. It all depends on your results, of course." Roy's smirk was playful. "Besides, you'll have to get an astounding result to own up to that General in the North."

Edward's face contorted into a dark, determined smile. "That's all the encouragement I need." He stood up and scooped the files into his arms. "I'll just go and wrap this case up quickly then."

"You do that, Full – " Roy's words were cut when he saw something fell from Edward's pocket. "Fullmetal, you dropped something." He stood up and picked it up, finding it to be a photograph of four people; a man who seemed to be crying, a young woman carrying a baby close to her chest, and a little kid being lifted by the man. His eyes widened when he recognized the little kid to be Edward.

Before he could comment on anything, the photograph was snatched from his hand. He turned to look at the young alchemist, who had put the folder on the chair he previously sat on, clutching the edges of the photograph tightly in his hands. His face was red with embarrassment. "It was nothing, alright?!" he roared before Roy could say anything. "Granny Pinako said she has a copy and she wants me to have one – she forced me to bring it with me – I planned to leave it but I forgot it was there – I swear I never wanted to – "

"Fullmetal, calm down," Roy put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "There isn't anything wrong with carrying a photo of your family around."

Edward stared at him, still red-faced. "You're not going to make fun of me?"

"Would you rather be made fun of?" Roy's brow shot up. Then he smirked. "Though I have to tell you I see no difference between the you now and the you then. You don't seem to have grown – "

"Finish that sentence and I swear I'll make sure you'll have to do a lot more paperwork from now on."

Roy smiled. "Alphonse looked cute."

Edward mirrored Roy's expression, albeit with more gentleness that Roy thought the boy was capable of. "He's always been." He shuffled awkwardly after he said that, face flushing once more. He coughed. "Uhhh. There should be a train heading to Posterim soon." He looked up to Roy, face starting to fade into its usual color. His eyes blazed. "When I'm done with this case, I want you to call that General and have him to come here so I can gloat all I want, alright? I wanna see how his face looks," he stated as he gathered the documents he deposited on the chair and started off to the door.

Roy gave a chuckle. "I'd rather not. That person is scary enough when there's nothing pissing her off, I don't want to see her when she's annoyed."

Edward stopped mid-step. "Wait. 'Her'?"

"Yes, Fullmetal," Roy's grin was amused. "The Brigadier General is a she."

* * *

Edward sat on the train quietly, hands cradling the photograph of his family. After hearing Roy's words about his opinion on him carrying it, he felt more at ease with putting the photograph in his pocket.

Sure the face of the bastard of a father in there kind of ruined the picture. But there was a baby Al and a smiling Trisha in there too.

"Brother, can I see that photo?"

Edward looked up to see Alphonse's face, who was sitting across of him. He smiled. "Sure, Al," he said, handing the picture to Alphonse's outstretched hand.

"You know, I don't remember ever taking this picture," Alphonse said with a laugh. "I guess I was too small to remember."

Edward laughed. "I can barely remember it either. I just remember being lifted and a flash of light."

"I guess we were both too young then." Alphonse stared at the photo, sighing. "Here, Brother," he said, handing Edward back the picture.

Edward shook his head. "You hold on to it. If I keep it I think it'll end up being crumpled or torn." He looked out to the window, seeing trees whizzing past. "How long do you think it'll be until we reach Faeburn? We still have to change trains after we get to Posterim."

"I'm not sure, but it must be another half a day at least," Alphonse speculated.

"So it takes a whole day to reach that village at least," Edward sighed. "I hope no one else was taken."

"Yeah," Alphonse agreed. The rest of the trip was spent in relative silence, the brothers simply enjoying each other's company. Occasionally, they would exchange words and chatted about whatever crossed their mind, but they would always lapse into the peaceful silence that eventually lulled Edward to sleep. Alphonse woke him up to change trains when they reached Posterim, and soon they were back on tracks to Faeburn.

"What do you think about this case, Brother?" Alphonse asked between the silence of the car.

"It's ridiculous," Edward answered bluntly. "The notion of fairies kidnapping people is just plain idiotic. _People_ steal people."

"That's true…" Alphonse muttered. "But then, where do the missing people went to?"

"We'll have to hope for the best," Edward stared out of the window. The sky was still glaringly blue, but another hour or two and it would start changing red.

Soon, they reached the small station in Faeburn, which was more of a stop than a station. The platform was small and old, the red bricks peeking underneath the crumbled cement covering it. A blanket of soft moss grew happily on the dulled corners and moist bottom, but overall it was still strong enough to hold. The road to the town itself was no more than a small dirt path not unlike that of Resembool – the difference was that this was narrower in size and was surrounded by tall trees of the forest.

Edward looked up to the sky. "It's getting dark," he noted. "We should go to the town."

"I wonder if they have an inn we can stay in," Alphonse muttered lowly.

Edward shrugged. "If they don't, we'll just ask someone to lend us a room. If all comes to worst we can always camp outside."

Alphonse looked surprised at that. "Wouldn't that be dangerous?"

"That's true…" Edward sighed. "Let's think about that when we get to it. For now let's just go there first." He started to walk down the dirt path, Alphonse following closely behind. His eyes swept through the thicket as their feet worked through the way. The trees were tall, so tall. They blocked whatever light the sun still provided, leaving them under the looming shadows and occasional rays of golden dusk light.

Then his eyes caught glimmers of white.

Edward stopped in his tracks, forcing Alphonse to stop as well. He ignored Alphonse's confused call and instead narrowed his eyes as he scanned the forest once again, taking care to spot white this time. He couldn't find it. He frowned in confusion, still searching.

"What is it, Brother?" Alphonse's voice drew Edward's attention away.

"No… nothing," Edward shook his head and resumed his march. "Let's go, Al."

It didn't take long for them to reach the place. The town was more like a village than anything. It was crowded and noisy, but not with life. Instead, the air was thick with a sense of grief and loss. The people were crowding around a house, where they could hear lamenting wails above the buzzing whispers. They could hear words being shouted above it all,

"Let's go to the forest and hunt those fairies down!"

"We can't go to the forest! What if we anger the fairies and our daughters are killed?"

"The offerings don't please them anymore, what else are we supposed to do?!"

Slowly, Edward approached someone who sat at the outer circle of the house and tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me, what's going on here?"

The young man with sandy blond hair stared at him, clearly startled. "Wha – oh. You're not from around here, are you?" his wood brown eyes narrowed.

Edward fished his pocket watch and showed it to the young man. "We're from the military. They sent us to deal with the disappearances."

"The military?"

The young man's disbelieving voice raised above the murmurs, and soon all attention was drawn towards the alchemist in red and the boy trapped in the armor. Alphonse took a step back while Edward squirmed uneasily. There was a shift in the air, and the atmosphere grew tenser somewhat.

"What's the military doing here?" a voice asked from the crowd.

"What do they want?" another demanded.

"Nothing, we were just sent to investigate the disappearances," Alphonse answered, a tone of restlessness in his voice.

A shrill and broken laugh resounded from inside the house. "Investigate?!" a young woman stumbled out, a little wobbly and clearly very upset. "What can the military do to take back my child? My baby?! The fairies took him, no one can retrieve my baby!"

She stepped menacingly towards Edward and lost her footing right in front of him, and ended up grabbing a handful of his collar. She pulled herself up. "It's too late for investigations. Too late for that! My little Ray is gone and there's nothing – " she looked up to meet his golden eyes with her red-rimmed ones, and her dark brown orbs grew wide with surprise. "…your eyes," she muttered with a voice that dropped to a whisper all of a sudden. "They're gold."

"Y-yeah, it's hereditary," Edward stammered. When the woman's eyes went even wider and then suddenly narrowed accusingly, he wondered if he shouldn't have answered her.

"Faeling!" the woman screamed to his face. "Faeling! Give me back my son! Give him back to me!"

Her grip made its way to his throat, and soon he was struggling to pry her impossibly strong fingers away from his neck. "My child!" the woman screamed, over and over again, not letting go of her hold even as the townsfolk and Alphonse wrestled her vengeful hands away. "My child!"

Edward couldn't tell how long it took, but the townspeople finally managed to free him from the crazed woman and held her back from lunging to him again. He coughed and hacked, gulping the air in gratefully. "What the hell was that?!" he rasped painfully. "What makes you think – " _cough, cough_ " – I can give you your child back?"

No one answered the question. When his coughs finally died down, Edward looked up to see the townspeople, but they were staring at him with eyes that screamed of distrust, anger, and fear. He stared back questioningly.

Alphonse pulled and helped him stand. "We're sorry if we did something wrong," his voice echoed from inside the helmet. "But we don't think we've done anything to you." The townsfolk shifted uncomfortably, and Edward could sense the guilt they felt.

"What's a faeling?" Edward muttered softly, more to himself than to anyone.

At that, the townspeople once more fixed their gaze to him. Some were outright accusing him with their eyes. Some looked confused, and some upset.

"I believe you are Major Edward Elric?"

The attention was drawn away from him at once. Edward turned to search for the deep voice that resonated with calming charm, and spotted the speaker at once. He stood a bit away from them, the air of authority hanging about him in a way that reminded Edward of the big shot generals in Central at once. His dark hair and leaf green eyes stood out the most, although his black attires was somewhat eye-catching as well. "Yeah," he confirmed with a tone firmer than he really felt. "Sorry, you are…?"

"I'm Kaiser Lotus, the mayor of the town," the middle aged man smiled. "Your commanding officer contacted me to inform your arrival this afternoon. He told me that normally you'd stay at an inn, but unfortunately we have none here. You'll have to stay with me for the time being." His words were directed at him, but his eyes swept through the crowd with a cold warning. Soon they were settled to him once more, inquiring. "Though I was under the impression that the Fullmetal Alchemist was the one wearing the armor…?"

"Oh no, no, it's not me," Alphonse quickly dismissed the assumption while putting a calming hand over Edward's shoulder. "It's him. I'm his younger brother, Alphonse Elric."

Kaiser looked at them with slight bewilderment, but soon he was motioning them to come with him. The two brothers happily did, eager to get away from the townspeople's unnerving stares and the woman who still struggled to curl her fingers around Edward's neck.

"I apologize for Chrysan's behavior," Kaiser said as they walked through the empty streets. "Her baby had just gone missing this morning. She has been hysterical since."

"It's okay," Edward muttered, even though he was still annoyed that the woman decided to attack him. "Just please keep her away from me."

"Duly noted," Kaiser gave a wry smile. "I believe it's because of your coloring, Mr. Elric. You have an… unusual eye color."

"Genetics," Edward grumbled.

"You were wondering what a faeling was, yes?"

Edward nodded. "Can you tell us?"

They turned to a two-story green and white house, with red shutters and brown roof. "A faeling is believed to be an offspring of a human and a fae folk," Kaiser explained as he pushed the green wooden gate open. "Sometimes, they live in the fairies' realm, but sometimes they prefer to stay with their human parent." He motioned the brothers to come in.

Edward and Alphonse stepped in. "And they believe that I am one?"

"You cannot blame them, Mr. Elric," Kaiser huffed a small laugh, pushing the gate close once more. "Golden eye color isn't something that is considered natural here, after all. That color is usually associated with elemental fairies, more precisely flame ones, along with the color red, orange, and yellow."

Alphonse coughed when the word 'flame' was mentioned, while Edward contemplated about which pissed him off more, being accused as a half fairy or associated with a type of them that are closely related to fire… which reminded him too much of Roy Mustang. "Believe me, I think I'd know if I were half imaginary creature," he said.

Kaiser took a set of keys from his pocket. "You may say it that way, but that wouldn't change the way the people feel about you. To be completely honest I feel somewhat angered as well to look at your eyes. They look too fairy-like to be completely human for me."

Both Edward and Alphonse took a step back. "Angered?" Alphonse muttered uneasily. "Why?"

"I'm smart enough to know that it'll be useless to beat you up and try to get the missing people back," Kaiser put the key in the hole and turned it with a click, "but many won't hesitate to do that to you. Too many people have gone missing, and we're getting desperate." He turned the doorknob and pushed. "I included." He took a deep breath. "My daughter… she was one of the missing people as well."

Edward gazed carefully at him. "I still don't believe that fairies are the ones that got those people missing."

"Believe what you want, Mr. Elric, but I honestly believe that it is best if they are taken by fairies after all. While we have no chance of retrieving them, we have no chance to meet the kidnappers either."

"Wait… how is that a good thing?"

Kaiser turned to stare at them. The door behind him swung open with an ominous creak and revealed the dark room beyond. "If it were a human that took my daughter away from me," he began, voice dangerously low, "I swear to God I'm going to be the one to kill them."

* * *

A/N: New story! Yay!

I'd like to thank Brenne, who presented the idea of meshing FMA world together with fairy world. Granted, I wouldn't write much of fairies here since I don't think fairies are real myself (but if they are, cool! Just please stay away from my future children, thank you) but learning about the lore and incorporating it into this story is really enjoyable. Anyway, thanks a lot, Brenne! I hope this first chapter is enough to hook you in, and also a bunch of other readers because I'd really like to have more of them... *cue sheepish laugh*

I'll use a lot of flower references here, since fairies are associated with nature and I think this will fit the story. Like you see, the chapter names are named after flowers and what they symbolize. I took them mostly from Wikipedia (bless that website) and theflowerexpert dot com(bless this website too). There will also be a lot of other references. The crazed woman's name, for example, is Chrysan. I took it from the flower chrysantemum, which in Japan, China and Korea is used in funerals to symbolize a mother's lament and/or grief, particularly the white ones.

I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review, tell me what you think!


	2. Anemone

Chapter Two: Anemone

* * *

 _Anemone on a darker note indicates fading hope and a feeling of having been forsaken. On a positive note it symbolizes anticipation._

* * *

"Here you go."

A tray holding three cups of tea was placed on the coffee table in front of Edward and Alphonse. Kaiser calmly placed the cups on the table and put away the tray.

"Ah, no, you shouldn't have troubled yourself!" Alphonse said quickly. He couldn't drink anyway, and he didn't like the idea of Kaiser's efforts going to waste.

"Nonsense," Kaiser smiled. "If you are going to help try getting back the lost people this is the least that I can do."

Edward took a cup and sipped. "This is good," he said with a smile. He didn't drink much tea, but this one had a welcoming feeling that made him feel comfortable at once.

He cradled the cup in his hands and took in the view of the room. The walls were a shade of clean cream-white. A lamp hung overhead, casting its lights to every corner of the room. A fireplace stood conspicuously at the wall, embers still emanating warmth – nights at Faeburn often get chilly, according to Kaiser, and it was common for people to light the hearth every evening and let it burn through the night to keep the house warm, even in the middle of summer.

But it was the framed pictures standing on the stone fireplace that drew Edward's attention. Still carrying the tea, he stood up and approached the fireplace to take a better look at them. A rather old picture depicted a clearly younger Kaiser in wedding attires, hand locked with that of a pretty blonde with dark eyes in a wedding dress. Another depicted them sitting next to each other with interlocked hands – Kaiser was staring at the woman's swelled stomach with a gentle smile on his lips. Another was that of Kaiser, holding a small baby in his hands, a tender yet sad smile adorning his face. The next pictures showed either the child alone or her with Kaiser as she grew older. The biggest photograph, standing at the dead center, showed the blond girl with twinkling green eyes grinning and hugging Kaiser, who was smiling wide, green eyes laughing.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Kaiser sighed from his seat. "Her name is Cadie. Many men have tried to court her, none has succeeded. Often, people describe her as 'one with hair of spun gold and eyes of young spring leaf'." He chuckled at that. "I see that the description suits you even more, though, Mr. Elric. Particularly about the hair. Your hair looks strangely golden."

"I blame genetics for this, as well," Edward shrugged.

"You might want to be careful," Kaiser sipped his tea, "Fairies love shiny things. They favor blond women and children, even more so when they have blue eyes. You are by no means a female or a little kid, but your hair might draw their attention."

"What? Are you saying these fairies have preferences, now?" Edward's eyes were wide. He found the whole situation ridiculous, and it was getting even more so by the passing moments. "What is it with you people? Why do you believe in fairies so much? They're fictional!"

"Brother!" Alphonse chided at once. "I'm sorry, Mr. Lotus. Brother can be really rude sometimes – "

"Hey!"

" – though I'm also wondering why everyone believes fairies are real?"

Kaiser looked away. "We weren't like this before," he muttered. "We used to think that fairies weren't real, ourselves. We thought wrong." He turned to them. "I suggest we all rest for the night. I'm sure the two of you are tired after that train ride." He stood up. "Let me show you your room. I'm afraid you'll have to share."

"It's okay, we always share rooms anyway," Alphonse answered calmly.

Kaiser's smile was that of relief. "Let's go, then. Better not waste any time."

They walked through the house's dimly lit corridors and climbed the stairs. Soon they were led to a dark green door, and Kaiser opened it with a swift, fluid motion. He turned on the lamp, and they saw that the room was painted with the same shade of cream-white the whole house was painted with. A dresser stood on a corner, next to the window overlooking the road. The bed had no frame, instead it was only a mattress with layers upon layers of blankets and multiple pillows that seemed more than ready to drown whoever slept on it with fluffy squishiness. Next to it another mattress was laid down, but it had less blankets and pillows on it, clearly put later to accommodate more people.

"Sorry about the beds," Kaiser exclaimed. "Cadie has always preferred it that way, and I see no point trying to tell her to use bed frames. After all, I, myself don't use it." He smiled fondly, but it was swiftly replaced by a serious expression. "It would be better if you keep the window locked. It never really stopped the fairies from coming before, but it's better than nothing. Though…" he glanced at Alphonse. "Maybe you'll be safer compared to most." He smiled politely. "Please make yourself at home. If you need anything, my room is just across this one, and the bathroom is in the end of the corridor. Good night."

"Good night, Mr. Lotus."

"Yeah, 'night."

The door was closed with a dull thud. Edward flopped down on the mattress with less blankets, sighing. "Well, we better rest then. I'm pretty sure we're gonna have a long day tomorrow."

Alphonse nodded. "Right." He paused before saying, "Maybe you should take the other bed, Brother. It looks more comfortable."

"Hell no, it'll drown me in sheets!"

"Just try it out at least!"

"Fine, fine." A shift and a flop, and Edward's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Holy shit, this is so comfy!"

* * *

Glares.

That was what they met when they walked around the ridiculously small town the next day. Glares from all direction. Apparently all people had already thought of him as a faeling. If they weren't outright glaring, they were sending him suspicious glances at all times.

"What's _he_ doing here?"

"Goddamned faeling must be spying to look for new victim…"

"But if he's a faeling how come he's fine going around with that man in armor?"

"He's still half human, stupid. That part probably protects him from iron. What a pity."

"Didn't he say he was from the military? I saw him bringing around the alchemists' pocket watch."

"Probably just a leaf with some glamour casted on it."

"A dog and a faeling. What a joke. He probably also used glamour to make that kind of appearance."

"What even is a glamour?" Edward grumbled in annoyance as he tried his best to ignore all the hostile whisperings around him. He was used to walking into crowds where people would mutter things about him, but not like this – most of the time they didn't even realize the Fullmetal Alchemist was walking right under their noses (both literally and figuratively) and never were they accompanied by eyes that seemed to be screaming for him to get lost. And certainly none of those were ever this menacing.

"Don't pay attention to them, Brother," Alphonse whispered to him. He walked closely behind the older Elric, as if trying to guard his back from whatever attack might come from behind. "Where's the house?"

"Just ahead," Edward muttered. Just another minute or two of walking later, they reached a small house with black roof, and Edward knocked the door, silently praying that he could go in and investigate the scene as soon as possible.

The door swung open and a young woman about the age of Lieutenant Hawkeye stepped out, only to freeze and scowl upon seeing them. "What do you want?"

Edward pulled out his pocket watch. "Excuse me, Ma'am, but we need to look at – "

"I'm not letting a faeling into my house."

Edward struggled to keep his temper in reigns. He was _not_ a faeling. He wasn't even aware of their supposed existence until the day before.

"Please, Ma'am," like always, Alphonse immediately took over while Edward tried to calm himself. "We just want to help. We need to find out who took all the missing people so we can stop the disappearances and return them."

"We already know who took them. The fairies did!"

"We don't know that for sure," Alphonse shook his head. "And even if the fairies _did_ take them all, some clues would really help us getting them back."

The woman stood by the door, seemingly contemplating Alphonse's point. "Fine," she said at last, "but he's not coming in."

"Can he at least check the window and the surrounding from the outside, please?"

The woman opened her mouth to protest, but soon she closed it again and nodded begrudgingly. "My daughter's room is over there," she pointed to the side of the house.

Soon, Edward and Alphonse were both investigating the house; Alphonse from the inside and Edward from the outside. They weren't hoping they could find some relatively useful hints since the girl from this house disappeared over a week before. Not many clues could have survived that long.

Fortunately, they had an idea what to look for. They had investigated Kaiser's house earlier, particularly Cadie's room and the outside of its window, as well as another house where a child was taken. They were met with strong resistance in that house much like this one, but they managed to convince the parents to let them investigate. Even though much time had passed some clues weren't so easily wiped away by the passing days. Edward started to search at the window – the closed wooden shutters and the rock solid walls they were built upon. His eyes narrowed in concentration as they roamed around in attempt to find something. Then they widened when they finally noticed it.

"Al, I found it!" he said, knocking the closed shutter next to the one he was staring at.

Alphonse quickly came over from the inside, opening the shutter he had knocked at. "Where?"

Edward pointed at the shutter. It held patterns of squares overlapping with each other, and it was something that all alchemists knew all too well. "This looks just like the one at Lotus' house. And the Davis house, too. We definitely have a pattern right here." He looked up to search for the woman of the house. "Ma'am, did you see anything out here the night your daughter was taken?"

"Shouldn't you be more knowledgeable, Faeling?" the woman spat her reply scathingly. Edward bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming obscenities at her – it wouldn't help him at all in here.

"Ma'am, please," Alphonse's soothing voice flowed to his ears and he could feel himself relaxing to it. Alphonse's voice had always had that effect. "We need as much clue as possible."

Apparently Alphonse's voice didn't just affect him, but the woman as well. "Well," she began somewhat reluctantly, "I saw some blue lights, like lightning. But isn't it just a kind of fairy magic?"

"We're not sure yet," Alphonse answered. "We're still trying to figure it out."

Edward poked his head into the room through the window, ignoring the woman's poisonous glare. "Can you tell me how the room was when you checked it out in the morning? Was it colder, stuffier, full of weird smell, anything?"

"The room was slightly cooler, as if the windows had been opened." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "But you've known all this, haven't you. Why does a faeling like you even need to go around asking for information about the missing people?"

Edward's eyes darkened. "I'm not a faeling," he stated firmly. "I'm an alchemist of the state. I'm here to help."

The woman snorted and looked away. "As if a dog can help us more than a half fae."

Edward opened his mouth to retort, but Alphonse held him back. "Thank you for your time, Ma'am," he said calmly, though his voice adopted a chilly tone. "We'll be taking our leave."

Edward practically stomped away from the house. He stepped out of the gate and looked around the neighborhood, inwardly wondering if there was _any_ villager willing to help him at all. He sighed, crossing his arms across his chest. If this went on he'd have to call Mustang to send him some help, since someone who looked fully human would most likely receive a much warmer welcome.

He snorted at the thought. _Looked_ fully human. Sure he was short of two limbs, but did he resemble an imaginary creature of any kind?

The sound of clanging metal drew his attention away from his musings. His head turned to take in the view of Alphonse walking closer.

"So all three houses have the same pattern on their windows, and the parents all found the room was slightly cooler than usual," he mused as soon as Alphonse stopped walking.

Alphonse nodded. "Not to mention the blue lights," he added.

"It's definitely an alchemist, if not many of them." Edward stroked his chin in thought. "They know enough of the fairies to know what strings to pull. Convincing these people that fairies are the ones taking away their children is easy with the help of alchemy."

"But why…?"

"We're both asking that question, aren't we, Al?" Edward's response was more of a statement than a question. "Come on – "

"Mom, is the fae here to take Kelly and Tahlia too?"

They two Elrics turned to the side of the road to search for the one who spoke. Their eyes met ones that belonged to a young boy of ten, hands holding two younger girls, most likely his younger sisters. Beside him, a woman stood and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Nolan, Dear. No one's going to take anyone." She glared at the brothers as if challenging them to do something before she ushered her children away. She refused to look at them anymore, while the boy kept on giving them warning looks. The girls, however, looked more curious than anything.

Edward sighed. "How many times do I have to say I'm not a faeling until they remember, I wonder? I almost missed being scorned for being a military dog."

Alphonse didn't say anything, but he put his hand on Edward's shoulder. The older alchemist strained his neck to look at his brother and smiled. "Come on, Al. I heard fairies like forests, maybe we can find something in the woods."

* * *

When they were finally away from the glaring people and towering houses, Edward gave a sigh of relief. He never knew that being stared at with such hostility could be so tiring. The vacant woods gave a sense of peace and quiet, since there was no one around.

"I think we should go into the forest," Alphonse said. "If there are people hiding in there, there has to be some marks or something."

Edward nodded in agreement. "Good idea, Al."

Before they could take more than five steps, a voice called to them harshly, "Hey!"

They froze in their steps and turned to see a young man walking to them with a frown in his face. His dark brown hair waved along with the wind and his brown eyes were full of disagreement with their action. "The woods' off-limits," he said with a tone that suggested that it was common knowledge in Faeburn.

"Sorry, we didn't know," Alphonse apologized.

"Oh, right, you're the newcomers," the young man scratched his head. "Did no one tell you?"

Edward shook his head. "Everyone's been too busy calling me faeling or dog of the military to do that," he stated, a hint of bitter anger seeping into his voice.

"Not even Mr. Lotus?"

"Must've slipped his mind." Edward stared at him. "Why's the woods off-limits?"

The young man stared into the shadows casted by the leaves of the trees. "We don't want to offend the fairies," he said. "Fairies love nature. We don't want to accidentally break something. We can't risk having the missing people treated badly, or worse, have another person missing." He gestured at them. "We understand that sometimes it's necessary to go there though, so as long as you don't go in too deep you'll be fine. Come on, I'll accompany you. I often go here so I know the place enough not to get lost."

Edward moved closer warily. "Most people in the town don't trust me."

The young man stopped and stared at him. "You may be a faeling," he started, slowly, as if contemplating the right words to use, "but you're also part of the military. You're still half human at least. And even though you might have grown with the fae folks for all I know I believe you'd still sympathize with the people that are taken at the very least. So I choose to believe you."

Edward froze, staring. It was almost too good to be true to even imagine someone trusting him like this in this town aside from Kaiser. He couldn't find any word to say to the young man.

He smiled and reached out his hand. "I'm Ives. Ives Fennel. I never did manage to catch your names."

"Edward," he shook the outstretched hand. "Edward Elric. And this is my brother, Alphonse."

"Nice to meet you, Edward, Alphonse."

"Ed and Al's fine. So how deep exactly are we allowed to go in…?"

The three were just barely past the outmost tree when they heard breaking twigs and shuffling feet. Edward turned to see who was there, and he was surprised to see Chrysan walking closer, bringing something in a small basket covered with a napkin. She didn't see them behind the trees, and Edward wasn't keen on changing that because of his previous encounter with the woman.

Chrysan set down the basket on the ground, a few feet away from the woods, not noticing the three onlookers at all. She took the napkin off of the basket and laid it on the grass, then she reached into the basket and put a freshly baked cupcake on it. She also took a handful of white and pink flowers from the basket and set them around the napkin, creating a circle around it, along with a few pinecones. Then, she reached again into the basket, heaved a sigh, and took a few things and set them on the napkin alongside the cupcake. Edward's eyes went wide when he realized them to be gemstones.

"Please," she said quietly towards the forest, "please give me back my child. I beg of you. He's my everything. I'll give anything, just let me be with him again."

Edward felt his heart clench with every word the mourning mother said. There was something painfully familiar in the way her eyes glistened with tears and in the desperate prayers she spoke. He felt all hostile thoughts he had ever directed at her vanishing into smoke, and replaced by sympathy. He knew how she felt. He understood her perfectly. After all, he once had to go through the same thing. The difference was that he managed to bring back his everything, and he didn't know if Chrysan could have hers.

Chrysan stood up and heaved another sigh, shaky this time as if she was trying hard to keep herself from crying. She turned and stumbled away, sounds of stifled sobs following her steps.

Edward felt Alphonse's presence by his side and turned. The living suit of armor was staring at Chrysan's retreating back. "I wonder if Mom would do the same for us," he whispered softly.

Edward felt his heart clench once again. "Al…"

Alphonse looked at him, and Edward got the impression that Alphonse was smiling sadly at him. "Well, it's not like it's possible anyway, now that she's gone. Come on, Brother, we should go find some clues." He started towards the woods, clanging plates creating a ruckus as he waded through soil, roots, and bushes. Edward quickly followed, and realized for the first time how lucky he was that Alphonse rarely turned and went his own way without prior notice like this. Being so much bigger than Ed, the elder Elric had difficulty aligning his steps to the younger one.

"Hey, guys?"

The two stopped immediately. They turned to look at Ives, whose presence they had forgotten completely. The older teen simply smiled at them. "I think it's better if I lead," he said. "Let's not take any chances of getting lost, shall we?"

Edward's brows wrinkled. "Actually… we know how to make our ways in woods. I don't think we'd get lost so easily."

"Sorry for not telling earlier," Alphonse added sheepishly.

Ives shook his head dismissively. "No harm done," he said. "But really, it's best if I lead. Fairies can cast glamour and create spells that makes you lose your way." He reached into his shirt and produced a small pouch he wore around his neck. "I have many four-leaved clovers here. They break fairy glamour."

"That's another thing," Edward gave a tired sigh. "What's a glamour?"

Ives stared at them as if they had suggested the most ridiculous idea the world could offer to him. "Well," he licked his lips, "it's an illusion magic. Fairies can enchant dead leaves to look like fresh apples, an ugly face to look pretty and vice versa, so on and so forth. As far as I know, only four-leaved clovers can break through the magic."

Edward's eyes glanced to his right pocket, where he kept his pocket watch in. So not only did the townsfolk think of him as a half fairy, they also doubted the credibility of his status as a State Alchemist. He took a deep breath. This case was tiring him out already.

But he planned to finish this without a hitch. That general from the North would see!

Edward's eyes met Ives', and he nodded. "Well then. Lead the way."

Ives' brow went up immediately. "Sir, yes, sir," he answered sarcastically as he made his way past the brothers. "What exactly are you two looking for anyway?"

"Anything," Edward answered. "Any clue, any indication that can point us to the ones who took the missing people, the location where the missing people are hidden, a way to get them back somehow."

"I see," Ives nodded. "Well, considering that this place is supposed to be forbidden, I guess if there is any clue it wouldn't be disturbed."

"Wait, if this area is forbidden then why are you here?" Alphonse asked in confusion.

Ives shrugged. "I'm looking for my sister. She often wanders off on her own around here, so I need to find her soon."

"Is it even safe for her to wander off here?"

Ives waved his hand, clearly not thinking of it to be serious. "Fairies like her, I'm sure of it! She leaves offerings here and there all the time. The fairies like being treated like that, so I'm sure they'll leave her be."

Edward and Alphonse didn't know what to say to that. They chose to keep their mouths closed.

"By the way," Ives turned to look at them, "are you sure that you want to get back all the taken townspeople?"

"Of course we do," Edward stared at him with indignation clear in his eyes. "Don't you want them back?"

"It isn't so much about wanting them back or not," Ives shook his head, "it's just… I don't think you'll be able to do it. It's pretty much impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"Once someone enters the realm of the fairies and ate or drank something from there, they will be trapped in there forever with no way out." Ives' dark eyes glimmered as he stared at them, pausing his steps on top of a large root. "And we all need to eat and drink. At least one person went missing in one week, and much time has passed." A grim tone shrouded his words. "How long do you think it has been since the first victim was taken?"

* * *

A/N: I planned to have this uploaded a few days ago but... at that time this hasn't finished being written yet, sigh. The past few days have been really busy for me, and I apologize for not being able to upload this earlier.

I plan to have this fic uploaded at least once a week. If it's not possible, I hope I can have a once every fortnight update.

Anyway, like I said, these past few days have been hectic, and goddammit I'm so tired. I think I'm going to fall asleep the second my head hit the pillow. Excuse me if this chapter has some typos or whatnot, I'll have them fixed tomorrow morning if I found any.

I hope you enjoyed this, and please leave a review!


	3. Petunia

Chapter Three: Petunia

* * *

 _Petunia stands for "Your presence soothes me". However, it can also stand for resentment and anger._

* * *

" _Once someone enters the realm of the fairies and ate or drank something from there, they will be trapped in there forever with no way out. And we all need to eat and drink. At least one person went missing in one week, and much time has passed. How long do you think it has been since the first victim was taken?"_

Edward felt chill climbing up his spine. How long had it been? Despite not believing that fairies were really the culprit, he had to admit that he probably didn't have much chance of retrieving the missing people, considering the amount of time that has passed.

"Let's not think about that first," he finally said. "Let's just find a clue or something."

Ives nodded somberly. "Come then," he said, "I want you to meet someone." He walked ahead without waiting for Edward and Alphonse's response, leaving them with no choice but to follow. His steps were calm and sure, though the path was ridden with rocks, grass and bushes. Many times he had to stop to wait for Edward and Alphonse to catch up. It was obvious that he was used to the path.

He led them to a small clearing with a large tree at the edge of it – not very tall, but large, its bushy leaves blocking much of the sunshine the clearing had the opportunity to enjoy. The tree was blossoming with white flowers. Its wood was gnarly and clearly old, with green healthy leaves nodding along the breeze. Briefly, Edward wondered what tree it was, observing how the twigs bowed down so low that they seemingly swept the ground, covering whatever was beyond away from view, almost like a cave made out of leaves, twigs, and blossoms. Edward couldn't even see the tree's trunk, at least not from this side.

"The old Elder tree," Ives sighed. "My sister probably has thought of this as her secondary house. She likes hanging about in here." He took a deep breath. "Moss, I know you're there! Get out! If you don't I'm going to smash your dolls back home to smithereens!"

"Do that and you'll have no dinner for three years!" a girl pushed away the bowing twigs carefully to made a way out, coming out from beyond the leaves. Her long dark brown hair was tangled and her face looked somewhat flushed. "I like those dolls! They're from Ma!" Her gaze fell upon Edward and Alphonse. "Oh. Hello." She squinted her grey eyes at Edward. "Aren't you the one the others' been calling a faeling?"

"I am _not_ a faeling," Edward growled in annoyance, his patience dropping to a dangerous level. Alphonse put his hand on his shoulder, and Edward felt the simmering rage slowly died down.

"I can see how they can take you for one," the girl said, looking at him with pity in her eyes. She reached out her hand. "Mimosa Fennel. I'm Ives' sister."

"Edward Elric," Edward shook the girl's hand. "And this is my brother, Alphonse."

"Pleased to meet you," Alphonse exclaimed as he shook Mimosa's hand.

"Pleasure's all mine," she nodded jovially. "I'd like to chat more but I don't think this is the best place to talk. Would you like to have some tea at our house?"

"Oh, we don't want to intrude…"

"Nonsense! We'll be happy to have guests," Mimosa disregarded Alphonse's worry as soon as it came. "Come now, we have lots of food back home. We can chat over biscuits and scones."

* * *

It appeared that once you became so used to receiving hostility, seeing people treat you nicely made you feel odd.

"Why are you staring at the scones strangely like that?" Mimosa stared at Edward in confusion.

"These aren't poisoned, are they?" Edward asked back, pointing at the food in suspicion. Mimosa's face became like a blank canvas as she plucked a scone randomly and stuffed it in her mouth as Ives laughed and patted Edward's back.

"Of course not," he said between his chortles, "Killing a State Alchemist is like a one way ticket to jail."

"Killing you would be a stupid move," Mimosa added with a full mouth. She gulped and sipped her tea. "I'd rather keep a cute boy like you as a pet."

Edward, who had picked a scone curiously, dropped it into the plate right back.

It was Mimosa's turn to laugh. "Silly you, I'm not going to actually do that," she waved her hand, dismissing the idea. "You're way too young anyway."

Edward picked the scone back, more warily this time. He glanced at Alphonse nervously. He couldn't tell if the Fennels were simply joking or were truly serious. Apparently Alphonse was the same, as he stared back at him, looking completely lost in a way only an armor could.

"So…" Alphonse looked around the room awkwardly, "This is a nice house!"

"Thank you," Mimosa smiled at him. "We decorate it ourselves."

Edward bit into the scone. The taste was good, and it didn't seem like it was poisoned. While he chewed, he looked around the room. "You did a pretty good job," he commented as he bit the scone again, still a bit more careful than necessary.

"We did, didn't we?" Ives sighed as he looked around fondly.

The house was painted pastel green. The walls were riddled with portraits, and small decorations took space atop of the fireplace, displaying the wooden dolls Ives and Mimosa had talked about before. They stood in a line, biggest to smallest, and Edward recognized them as nesting dolls from abroad, though he couldn't remember from where exactly. Along with the portraits on the walls were framed drawings of perfect circles, triangles, and rectangles. There were also some of flowers, books, and other mundane objects, but overall the drawer seemed to like to play around with shapes and angles.

Mimosa caught Edward's stare at the drawings and grinned. "I drew them," she declared proudly. "They're really fun to work with. Do any of you draw too?"

"Not exactly," Alphonse mumbled thoughtfully, answering the question for both himself and Edward. They drew transmutation circles but they never really drew anything other than that, not often anyway. "But I guess we can draw angular shapes like that pretty well, too."

"Is that so?" Mimosa's smile brightened even more. "Do you draw it a lot?"

"Well…"

While Alphonse talked with Mimosa, Edward's eyes roamed the photographs. Most of them were of Ives and Mimosa. The photos were mostly from their early adulthood, if he were to judge, and he didn't see any that showed their childhood. Only one photograph showed the whole family together, and Edward could see easily that it was an old photo, not only from the color but also from how the siblings' faces looked young, so young. The only ones that showed someone other than the siblings showed a young man about Ives' age and a young lady about Mimosa's age. Only four people seemed to be present in the Fennels' lives, and that included themselves.

The unnamed young man, Edward recognized as the person he talked to the first time he got to the town, the one that he asked about the commotion in Chrysan's house. The sandy blond hair and wood brown eyes were unmistakable. His eyes twinkled merrily in each and every photo, and in almost all of them he had his arm curled around the mystery lady's shoulders.

The lady herself was a beauty in her own right. While not as pretty as Kaiser's daughter, Cadie, she had flowing dirty blonde hair and deep blue eyes and full lips that quirked into a lovely smile to the camera. Her long hair fell to her back and her bangs were clipped with a white flower clip, keeping the hair together instead of falling forward and blocking her vision. She seemed like a perfect model of someone the fairies would've liked to have taken.

"Those are our friend," Ives suddenly quipped to Edward. "Fletcher Nash and Agnes Caster."

At the mention of the last name, Mimosa's previously near-constant chatter died. "Ah," she sighed and cupped her chin in one hand sadly. "Agnes." She stood up and walked to the photograph, hand floating up with fingers coming close to the girl's face in the picture. She never really touched it but her hand lingered. "She's the very first one to go missing," she said, voice strained. "About two months ago, maybe. Poor Agnes… she's the one that's been warning us about the fairies but none of the townspeople listened. They accused her of being insane. And then she was taken. Now no one's knowledgeable enough about the fairies to know how to stop them."

"Hold on," Edward held out a hand to stop Mimosa. "Are you saying that the townsfolk didn't believe in fairies until someone went missing?"

Mimosa's face was strangely blank. "No one believed in them until the third disappearance," she said, voice only above a whisper. "Agnes warned them all. She planted a rowan tree in the forest to ward off the fairies but someone burnt it. The very next day she was gone, and in her place was a mossy log of wood."

"Agnes was like a walking encyclopedia of fairies," Ives added. "She knows many lores regarding them. What trees they preferred, what trees they dislike, what kind of offerings is proper to give them so that they don't turn malicious and try to attack us. Some of the townsfolk have been chopping trees she believed to be inhabited by fairies to be used as firewood and she thinks it's offending them and they might attack." He shrugged. "They kidnap people instead."

"It's just sad, you know?" Mimosa sighed. "People's been underestimating her because she always speaks about fairies. She earnestly believes that fairies existed. We didn't believe her at first, either, but at least we don't shun her away! These people… they do that. She's so lonely because of that. So many people made fun of her. Now look at what's become of this town." Her head dipped low. "It's just really hard to accept that we lost her. We've lost enough as it is."

"Lost enough…?"

A sad smile found its way to Mimosa's face. She turned her head away. "We aren't from around here. We moved about six months ago. Our parents died."

Ives shot up to his feet suddenly. "Moss! That's supposed to be private!"

Mimosa rolled her eyes. "They're clearly not idiots, Ives. They'll figure it out sooner or later." She took the only family picture in the collection and brought it for the brothers to see. The siblings clearly inherited their father's dark hair. Ives had their mother's eyes, while Mimosa their father's. "They died about a year ago or so. We struggled after that, both emotionally and financially. We moved here to start anew. Fletcher and Agnes were the only ones to truly accept us." She released a sigh. "People in here don't take strangers with open arms. They're wary of anything new and foreign. Perhaps that's also why they refused Agnes' ideas of fairies." Her eyes met Alphonse's. "It's hard to have to do that. You're alone in the world with only your brother with you and you have to do everything on your own…"

"We understand," Alphonse said after a moment of silence. "Our mother died when we were kids, too." He glanced to Edward a bit before adding, "And our dad… went away, a few years before that." The old Elric family photograph was grasped gingerly in his hands, and Edward wondered when Alphonse took it out. "This is honestly the only family we have with the four of us together."

Both Mimosa and Ives stared at the photograph. "You've been through your share of pain, then," Ives concluded quietly.

"We don't normally share it with just about anyone though," Edward glared at Alphonse. It wasn't a glare of true anger. He was glad, actually, that for once someone would know the pain and not pity them and tell them they were sorry and pampered them as if they were babies. Their pity wasn't the thing they needed. He was just annoyed that Alphonse decided to tell the Fennels without knowing them further.

Well, they've also told the brothers about their own family. It was equivalent exchange.

They talked a bit more, about the woods around Faeburn and locations the siblings believed might be the entrance to the fairy world. While not believing in them, Edward thought that if the culprit really wanted to frame the imaginary creatures as the ones to kidnap all these people he might as well check the fairy-related places.

Time passed, and before long the sky had changed red. Edward stared out of the window. "Well, look at that," he muttered. "I guess it's time already to go back to Mr. Lotus', Al."

Alphonse followed Edward's gaze and gave a small 'huh'. "Well, I guess it is," he said softly.

"I was hoping we could talk a bit longer, but some really troublesome fairies come out at night," Ives sighed. Edward rolled his eyes at the fairies comment, getting tired of all the fairies stuff he had to deal with, but said nothing. "Do you remember the way back?"

"Yeah."

"Off you go, then," Mimosa opened the door with a smile. "Maybe we can chat a bit more tomorrow?"

Edward grimaced at the invitation. "Not that we don't want to, but we haven't really produced anything all that useful from our investigation."

"We'll need to investigate more tomorrow," Alphonse agreed, a hint of regret in his voice. "We need to make sure this town is safe."

"Ah," Ives nodded in understanding. "Well, maybe next time then."

The brothers left the house, feeling the Fennels' stare burning into their backs with unusual intensity. Edward glanced at the bushes of snapdragons dancing in the breeze that were planted near the fence. The two brothers walked out of the gate and turned back to see Ives and Mimosa. The two were no longer looking at the brothers, and instead they were talking to each other in hushed voices, face serious and maybe even a little desperate. Edward frowned and closed the gate.

"Do you think we should go to the forest tomorrow to investigate again, Brother?" Alphonse asked as they walked.

Edward nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. Many of the places Ives and Mimosa mentioned were in the woods. We'll have to make sure we won't get lost though."

"Maybe we can bring a bright colored string to mark our way."

"That's a good idea…"

"Tahlia, wait!"

The sudden yell drew Edward's attention away. He stopped walking, staring at the house he heard the voice from and saw a little girl carrying a ball in her hand running to the door from the yard. At the door stood another little girl, holding the door ajar for the other girl. Edward recognized the two of them as the girls that walked with their brother and mother earlier today. He remembered the boy's question about whether or not he was going to take his sisters away and the warning glare the mother gave him.

The little girls seemed to sense his gaze, as they soon turned to look at him. They smiled, bouncing slightly on their toes and causing their pigtails to bounce along. Now that he looked at them closely, Edward realized that they looked similar enough to be twins. Their dark hair fell to their shoulders and their eyes twinkled even in the darkening light. The girl that carried the ball lifted her hand and gave a wave.

"Kelly, Tahlia, come on! Mom wants you to come in!" the girls brother appeared by the door, wearing an annoyed expression in his face. His eyes caught sight of Edward and Alphonse and he scowled. Edward, who had lifted his hand a little to wave back at the little girl, pulled his hand down again. Alphonse put a hand on his shoulder.

"Coming, Nolan," the waving girl gave the brothers a final smile and walked into the house. The other girl also smiled and nodded politely. The brother, however, kept a warning glare leveled at them and closed the door loudly.

"Come on, Al," Edward knocked on Alphonse's armor. "I wonder if Mr. Lotus cooked something for dinner?"

"He told us that before we left this morning, right?"

"Oh yeah…" Edward grinned. "I really hope it's stew!"

* * *

"Do you have the string, Al?"

"Yup. We're all set to go, Brother."

"Alright then," Edward turned to meet Kaiser's eyes. "Thanks for giving us the string, old man."

"I'll do anything to help," the mayor smiled. "Anything to get back the missing people and to make sure the rest of the people is safe." His smile turned into a frown. "But are you sure going to the forest is the best idea? We steer clear of it for good reasons."

"Don't worry, Sir, we'll be careful," Alphonse assured.

"Alright," Kaiser nodded, though he didn't seem to be entirely convinced. "I'm going to go to the town hall, I believe we're heading the same way."

Edward thought of the best route to the forest and realized that it, indeed, passed the town hall. "I guess," he said. "Let's walk together, then."

The walk was peaceful despite the glares the townspeople gave. Kaiser asked the brothers about Central to break the awkwardness around them and the uneasiness from the hostility in the townsfolk's attitude. Alphonse ended up describing Central in great detail with Edward giving his own quips every now and then.

Out of a sudden, a woman came running to them, panic in her eyes and a log of wood in her arms. "Mr. Lotus!" she screamed, drawing the attention of passers-by. "Mr. Lotus, my daughter…!"

"What is it?" the mayor immediately shifted his focus to the woman. "Is another kid taken?"

The woman gave a broken sob and nodded. "Kelly – she was gone this morning when I checked her room – but Tahlia was still there – "

"Calm down," Kaiser put his hands on the woman's shaking shoulders. "Let's come with me into the office so we can file this in too."

The woman began nodding, eyes darting left and right, before they landed on Edward. She stopped shaking immediately, and her red-rimmed eyes widened in realization. She dropped the log of wood she had in her arms and shook Kaiser's hands off, marching to Edward menacingly with a snarl on her face.

"You damned faeling!" she shrieked. "You took Kelly!"

"Wait – "

Edward knew that it was coming, but he didn't have time to counter it. He closed his eyes shut at let the slap hit him in the face. He gritted his teeth, holding the stinging pain in his cheek.

"Brother!" Alphonse yelled, and before long he was between the woman and the older alchemist. "He didn't take your daughter! He didn't take anyone!"

"He is a faeling!" the woman yelled, as if it justified all her accusation and actions.

"He isn't!" Alphonse yelled back. He stood tall, threatening, and the woman took a reluctant step back before she stepped forward stubbornly.

"Maybe he isn't, but this is his fault!" she shouted heatedly. Edward could see that everyone had their eyes on the woman, listening to her every word with rapt attention. He was convinced that at least half the town had created a circle around them, watching intently at the show they were putting on. "Just think – before, only one abduction occurs within a week, two if we're unlucky. The last disappearances was only two days ago! If this creature wasn't bringing us ill luck, then how did this happen?!"

Murmurs slowly buzzed from the crowd, carrying ominous whispers of agreement to Edward's ears. He gulped.

"There is nothing my brother brings you except for intentions to stop these disappearances!" Alphonse yelled above the mumbles.

"Well the fact is that we're getting another case instead!" the woman screamed back. "This is his fault!"

The murmurs grew louder and stronger, more sinister. Words of agreement were shouted to them shamelessly, carrying hatred that hit Edward like sticks and stones.

 _Yeah!_

 _This is his fault!_

 _Get away from here, you faeling scum!_

 _Give us back our children!_

 _Go die!_

He took a staggering step back, and his flesh hand felt the comforting coldness of metal of Alphonse's armor seeping through the glove's fabric. He took a deep breath and stood tall, looking at the townspeople warily. Normally, he'd simply shout and deny, after all he was _Edward Elric, the Alchemist of the People_. But he knew it was a stupid move here. These people didn't see him as an alchemist. They perceived him as an enemy, a threat, an underling of the fairies – a faeling. They didn't trust him. He needed to do something to at least reduce the hostility –

Something smashed him at the side of his head, and he let out a surprised yelp. The screaming died into fragile stillness, much like the calm before the storm. He felt something flowing down his face, and heard the loud _plop, plop_ , of something hitting the pavement. A glance and he saw white substance he recognized as eggshells. His finger gingerly touched his head and he brought it to his eyes. Clear and yellow goo mixed into one on his fingers and dripped down to the ground.

He lifted his gaze and met the angry glare of a boy he was already familiar with. "You caused this!" the boy that Edward believed whose name was Nolan accused. "Kelly's gone! Because of you!" He threw another egg that hit Edward squarely in the forehead.

All hell broke loose immediately. The other townsfolk followed the boy's example, and soon things were used as projectiles and thrown along with insults angry accusations. Edward lifted his arms to protect his head, but he felt another egg hitting his arm, got a peek of the sight of a shoe zooming past, and a bread that hit him in the stomach and fell limp on the stone. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath to yell and asked the angry mob to stop. He opened his mouth and lowered his arms, but the words he intended to use vanished into oblivion when he felt a sharp pain hit him in the temple. He staggered back, gasping for air, dizzy and disoriented.

A familiar voice cried out his name and suddenly he was wrapped in dirty, slimy metal arms that bent over him shielded him from the incoming assault. The metal of Alphonse back created clanging and banging sounds, and Edward's confused mind wondered if there were rocks and stones amongst the things that were thrown.

Another clang hit his ears, so close to his face that he yelped in surprise and, dared he say it, fear. He wiggled out of Alphonse's hold despite the younger Elric's protests and attempt to keep him in the metallic shield. He needed to stop these people somehow.

"STOP!"

Edward fell out of Alphonse's hold and thumped on the dirty stone pavement – it would be impossible any other day, but the slime covering the metal made it easier. He looked up at Kaiser, who had shouted earlier. His face was the perfect example of stormy rage, and he seemed to have received his own share of projectiles. Withered celery dangled from his left ear, and half his face was covered with flour. White eggshells and yellow goo tainted his black shirt, and something that seemed suspiciously alike to red paint. He was staring at the townspeople with such intensity that made them all take a step back and gulp.

"You people are behaving ridiculously," Kaiser growled. "These people are here to help you! Stop acting like stubborn idiots and treat them with respect!"

Still with a warning glare to the mob, he helped Edward and Alphonse to their feet. "Come with me," he said. "We can all use the restroom in the town hall to clean up."

Edward could still feel the townsfolk's gaze burning his back with hatred. He lifted his hand to his temple and touched it carefully, wincing when he felt the contact, and stared at his hand. Red blood marred the previously pristine white glove. He bit his lip.

* * *

A/N: oh my, my, my. I never intended that mob scene to happen. It just kinda did.

This chapter was a bit hard to write for some reason, but I hope it wasn't boring or anything. I feel that it's okay, even though it isn't exactly my best work. Interestingly it got easier when I began writing the angry mob scene. Maybe spontaneity is more natural for me?

With this, all the OCs have been introduced. I can't say I won't create someone again later on out of a whim, but the ones that are really important to the plot are all here. Fletcher Nash is, too, though he's only mentioned in here. He's gonna get a bigger role in the next chapter.

I feel kinda bad for putting Ed and Al through this, but at the same time I feel kinda happy too? I'm evil, sigh.

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review before you leave, it'll make my day!


	4. Blue Rose

Chapter Four: Blue Rose

* * *

 _Blue rose stands for mystery. It also stands for attaining the impossible and love at first sight._

* * *

"Ow."

"Sorry…"

"It's fine," Edward winced again when Alphonse touched his wound. "This isn't anything serious. Just a scratch."

"Ed," Alphonse dropped his hands to his lap and glared at his brother, using his actual name instead of his usual moniker to point of how serious the situation was. "They threw _a rock_ at your head. You could have a concussion for all we know."

"Al, I've gotten concussions before. I know I don't have it right now."

Alphonse dabbed the wound with the cotton which he had soaked with disinfectant with more force than necessary. "Doesn't mean this isn't serious, Brother."

Edward hissed in pain. "You shielded me from the worst. I'm fine." He leaned forward to touch Alphonse's shoulder plate. "You're all dented now. We'll have to fix you soon."

Alphonse would have frowned in annoyance if he could. "Brother, _I'm an armor_. I don't get hurt. It's you we need to worry about." To emphasize his point, Alphonse gave a sudden dab to Edward's would. The older Elric yelped in both pain and surprise. Alphonse stared at him with a look that Edward recognized as his _"See?"_ look.

The door to the room they were using opened, and they turned to see Kaiser walking in. "I'm sorry, I've searched everywhere but I can't find anything to bandage your wound," he sighed tiredly. "Or anything that can be transmuted into a bandage, for that matter. Maybe I should go home to take my supplies."

"You don't have to!" Edward refused loudly. "This is just a scratch, it's nothing serious. The bleeding's stopped anyway."

Kaiser didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway. "If you're so sure."

Edward stood up and took his jacket. He was currently wearing only his pants and shirt, revealing his automails to the open – Kaiser had stared, before, but chose to stay silent. He had cleaned himself, his clothes included, using a very generous amount of water before drying himself and his clothes with alchemy. He did the same to Kaiser's clothes and Alphonse's loincloth. After his jacket was in place, he braided his loose hair and took a deep breath. "Ready to brave the crowd again, Al?"

Alphonse, who was also already cleaned, nodded. "We need to find a way to keep you safe, though."

Edward nodded grimly without saying anything as he put his shoes on. He would rather not be mobbed again, but by going out of the building he would be putting himself as a target. The thought to call Roy for help crossed his mind, but he shook it off. He was going to solve this on his own. That way he could gloat to that Northern General as much as he wanted.

"Don't worry about that one," Kaiser smiled, looking confident. There was no sign of the anger that adorned his face just after they walked away from the angry crowd earlier. Edward watched as he pulled his gloves on, and Kaiser opened the door and waved to someone.

Soon, a young man walked in. The sandy blond hair and the wood brown eyes were unmistakable. The smile that adorned Fletcher Nash's face in the photographs in Fennel family's house was nowhere to be found, and its place was a straight face that looked almost blank. When the brown orbs met the brothers' own eyes, something akin to guilt flickered in there.

"Edward and Alphonse, meet Fletcher Nash," Kaiser smiled. "Mr. Nash acts as the sheriff of this town. All people respect him, so you should be safe from further attacks."

"They respect him," Edward turned to stare at Kaiser, "like they respect you?"

Kaiser's face turned grim, and he tugged at his shirt. "They have been warned. They shouldn't try anything funny again. This is only a precaution." He nodded at them. "I will leave you alone. Nash, these people are going to the forest. Please make sure they will get there safely."

"Wait, the forest?"

If the blond young man wanted to protest, he never got the chance to. Kaiser had closed the door behind him before he even finished his question. He sighed and turned to the two alchemists. He extended his right hand a little reluctantly. They shook hands and introduced themselves again, and Alphonse mentioned that they saw his photos in the Fennels' house.

Fletcher's eyes widened. "So you've met Ives and Mimosa."

"Nice people, they are," Edward nodded as he eyed Fletcher calculatingly. "Never accused me of being a faeling, or try to attack me."

Fletcher seemed to sense the silent challenge. "I have no intention to harm you," he said carefully. "You may be half fairy, you're still half human. I'm hoping that the latter half is stronger than the former."

Noting that he had similar answer to Ives, Edward stared Fletcher down and searched for any hint of a lie in his eyes. When he found none, he nodded. "Okay. Let's go then."

The three soon walked out of the town hall, with Edward avoiding the townspeople's burning glares in an attempt to avoid provoking them, Alphonse walking closely behind Edward protectively like an iron wall, and Fletcher sending warning glares every then and there to remind the people that the two alchemists were not to be harmed.

"Why do these people believe I'm a faeling?" Edward muttered tiredly. "Biologically, it's totally impossible for a tiny person about this big – " he stretched his thumb and pinky finger apart to make his point " – to have a baby with someone our size!"

"It's true that most people believe that fairies are small," Fletcher laughed weakly, "but some lores state that some are about the same size as us. Fairies come in all shapes and sizes. Nymphs, dryards, elves, dwarves, pixies – all of them have different sizes."

Edward snorted. "Still not a reason to throw things at someone."

"Are you sure going to the forest is the best thing to do?" Fletcher asked after a brief silence. "There is a reason why we banned people from going there."

"Ives and Mimosa seem to go to the forest regularly and they're okay," Edward countered easily.

"They know the forest well, even before Mr. Lotus gave the prohibition."

"Even though they're newcomers?"

Fletcher averted his gaze. "They're adventurous."

"Right," Edward lifted a brow and continued the walk.

It didn't take long for them to get to the forest. When they reached the woods Fletcher quickly said his goodbye, saying that he had some business downtown.

After Fletcher was gone from their sights, Alphonse reached into his armor and took the bright red string Kaiser had given to them before. "Should we start now, Brother?"

Edward cracked his neck. "It's now or never, anyway. Come on, Al."

They cut the string about half a foot long and tied it to the nearest branch before proceeding deeper into the thicket. They had a string tied to a tree every few feet to mark their way and avoid getting lost. Red hung and waved in the air, strikingly visible among brown and green. Feeling more confident with their marking method, the brothers nodded to each other and walked deeper into the woods.

"Where did Ives and Mimosa say the fairies like to hang about?" Edward asked.

"Old and big trees, mostly," Alphonse cut another string and tied it up. "I think we should go a little deeper."

"Alright." Edward turned and walked again. He didn't tell Alphonse, but he felt his wound beginning to sting again. He could take the pain since it was nothing compared to automail connection – or surgery – but getting it infected would be too bothersome. He hoped it was fine.

They reached a big tree that Alphonse quickly recognized as one of the trees Ives had described the day before. Like the elder tree they first met Mimosa at, the branches bow down low although it didn't reach the ground. The trunk was short and the branches long, spreading to all directions like a big umbrella.

"There's also another tree right there," Alphonse pointed to their left. "I'm going to check it out."

"I'll check this tree then," Edward agreed. As soon as Alphonse turned away, his face contorted into a pained frown. He took off his left glove and pressed his flesh finger to his wound, unwilling to stain the glove with blood. The pain made him wince.

Deciding to ignore it for the time being, Edward put his glove back in place and circled the tree. There was no sign of it ever made a contact with a human – oh wait. A rather big branch had been sawed off the trunk. He suspected it hadn't been too long since then, too. He reached forward and touched it gently. People of Faeburn used a lot of firewood, and this one probably was used as such, as well. He sighed. He had seen a lot of trees in this woods getting cut. "Such a waste," he whispered to himself, caressing the wood as if it was the tender skin of someone's hand.

The sound of soft giggling, almost inaudible, made him turn. "Al?" he called, but he could see the sun reflecting off Alphonse's armor from afar. It couldn't be him. Edward frowned.

Another faint giggle made him turn his head around to search. He could see no one that could have made the sound. He looked up to check if there was someone on one of the higher branches, but there was no one. "What in the world?" he mumbled.

He placed his hand on the cut branch again and leaned, sighing. The wound was throbbing. He took off his glove again and touched the wound again. He hissed slightly at the pain and sighed. "It would be so great if this can heal quickly," he muttered as he pressed his forehead to the back of his hand, feeling somewhat comforted by the feeling of his skin.

Incomprehensible mutters buzzed in the air and made him blink. He straightened up in alert and slight fear, feeling annoyed that he hadn't been able to locate the source of the voices. Still he saw no one around, although the buzz sounded like a dozen or so people muttering at the same time.

And then he gasped. The pain at his head wound was gradually disappearing, replaced by the tender feeling of newly healed skin. He could feel the tissue forming and closing together, which reminded him of medical alchemy, somewhat. When the process stopped, he reached again and poked the wound gingerly. There was no pain, no blood, nothing.

"What the hell?!" he hissed to himself. There was no way his wound could've healed in such rapid rate.

A sudden tug to his braid made him gasp again. Another tug, and he felt his hair coming loose. Golden tresses fell to his back before he felt something pulling and tugging it painfully. He fell and landed on his back, yelping all the while. The buzzing mumbling was constant in his ears. He sat up and grabbed his hair, desperate to somehow make the sensation that he was being grabbed by tiny little hands go away. He lifted his automail hand to sweep at the air in an attempt to make whatever this thing was go away. The mutterings changed into giggling once more, and the glove of his automail hand was tugged off.

The faint giggling changed into tiny shrieking that was near inaudible. The alchemist caught the sight of a flash of white before it disappeared. All of a sudden, all the tiny hands vanished, and the forest was dead silent. Edward gulped, feeling even more unnerved all of a sudden. He looked around warily in hope of getting a sight of whatever it was that assaulted him. There was nothing. However, for some reason, he felt like there were dozens of eyes staring at him. It wasn't malicious, it wasn't dangerous… at least he thought it wasn't.

Then, he felt another tug at his hair. It was much less painful this time, yet it had a feeling of urgency in it. The thing grabbed a hold of his flesh hand and tugged it, as well. Edward frowned. He grabbed both his gloves with his automail hand and stood up, deciding to follow whatever this was. Using the direction where he felt his hand and hair was tugged from, he walked carefully. "Al!" he yelled to get his brother's attention. "Follow me!"

"Did you find anything, Brother?" Alphonse asked, running towards him. The tugging suddenly felt more urgent, and Edward found himself breaking into a run every now and then.

"Somewhat," Edward answered cryptically. He let the tugging lead him still, stopping every once in a while to hang a red string to mark their way.

"Why is your hair down?" Alphonse asked while tying a string. "And your gloves, why are they off? You don't usually go around looking like that."

"It… came loose," Edward muttered softly. He didn't know if he should tell Alphonse that his hair was currently acting as their guide. Probably not.

"And your wound… it's healed?"

"It's nothing," Edward looked away. "Let's go, Al!" he quickly marched forward to avoid any more question from Alphonse. He really didn't have any explanation for it. He was still curious of what, exactly, was happening and what these invisible entities were, but he was sure there would be a logical explanation for it. He didn't know it yet, he didn't even have a theory of it, but he was still sure that there was a scientific explanation for it.

It took them quite a while to walk around. By the time the tugging finally ceased, Alphonse had used up at least half of the string to mark their way.

"What's this…?"

Edward took a few steps forward, eyes glued to the few chopped trees and the track marks that marred the ground. He kneeled, hand reaching to the ground to touch the marks. He turned to look at Alphonse. "Looks like those people really were taken by people, huh, Al?"

"We still need to investigate this further though," Alphonse noted. "I wonder where the tracks will lead us to."

"Judging from the direction, north," Edward lowered himself to the ground to examine the direction a little better. "Probably goes all the way to the desert."

"Should we go on and investigate, then?"

"Hmmm," Edward pulled his pocket watch and checked the time. He wrinkled his nose. "I think we should just go back for today. If we go further we might not be able to go back before dark."

Alphonse turned to look at the closest red string he had tied. "Okay. Maybe we should leave these strings, too, so we can find our way here tomorrow."

Edward nodded. "Alright then. Let's brace ourselves, there is no guarantee there will be no more attacks from the townspeople."

Alphonse gave a sigh.

Edward started to push himself to a standing position, but a sudden, almost desperate tug to his right made him turn his head to look. There was something white sitting at the base of a tree, managing to hide from people's prying hands to caress it. He reached and took the object, finally standing up fully, eyes never leaving the object.

It was a flower hairclip. It had four white petals and yellow stamens, looking fresh and pretty while at the same time artificial. He frowned.

It looked familiar, somehow.

* * *

By the time they reached the edge of the forest near the town, the sky had changed into the rare, pretty hue of purple twilight. The brothers had spent more time in the forest than they thought they had.

Edward ended up leaving his hair down. Every time he tried to braid it, it came undone, and whenever he tried to tie it up in a ponytail instead his hair would be tugged so hard he nearly cried out. The constant buzzing would sound angry whenever he tried to put his hair in a braid or a ponytail. It seemed that the only way he would be left in relative peace was by letting his hair down.

He had compromised with invisible things, Edward realized. He really didn't know what to feel about it.

They could almost see the town even from within the thicket. Edward stretched as he walked a bit faster, eager to get to Kaiser's house and rest. He didn't pay attention around himself and simply searched for the red strings that marked their way. All of a sudden, Alphonse cried out his name in warning, and he bumped hard into something. Edward moaned painfully, the constant buzzing mumbles in his ears now adapting a tone of worry.

"Sorry," he heard a voice say. He opened his eyes and looked up, and soon his gaze met Ives'.

"Ives," he frowned, taking Ives' outstretched hand and stood up. "What are you doing in here?"

"I, um," Ives bit his lip and looked around.

"Ives! Are you there?"

Ives straightened at the sudden call. "Yeah, I'm here!" he yelled back. "I was helping Fletcher look for you guys," he finally answered Edward's question. "Mr. Lotus asked him to escort the two of you back again."

Soon enough, Fletcher was beside Ives. He hefted a breath. "I was starting to worry if you got lost," he told Edward and Alphonse. "Are you two alright?"

"We're completely fine," Edward answered.

"Right, we should get back then," Fletcher nodded. "Nice hair, by the way."

Edward scowled and pulled his hair into a ponytail. He then blinked. It was only then that he realized the buzzing had sounded more faraway and fading still, adopting a tone of distrust and dislike. He could feel his hair not being tugged and played with but instead being used as some kind of a hiding place. He frowned and decided not to think about it, following the two older men to the town instead.

"I wonder where Mimosa went…"

Alphonse turned to the mumbling Ives, surprised. "Mimosa?"

Ives nodded. "She went out earlier today and hasn't come home since. Normally she'd be home at least an hour before sunset. I checked the tree earlier but she wasn't there."

A gnawing feeling took place in Edward's stomach. Something about this didn't feel right. He really hoped nothing had happened to Mimosa.

They walked out of the surrounding woods and Edward felt whatever was crowding him earlier dispersing away. He took a deep, relieved breath, thinking about what the invisible things really were.

"Brother… is that Mimosa over there?"

"Huh?"

Sure enough, leaning back at one of the bigger trees and completely out in the open, was a sleeping Mimosa. He frowned at the sight. Just what was she thinking, sleeping so peacefully in a place like this? It was as if she was asking to be taken.

"Moss!" Ives called and walked faster to his sister. "Moss, what are you doing, snoring here? Wake up, it's getting dark."

Mimosa didn't stir.

"How can anyone sleep in a place like this?" Fletcher muttered to himself.

 _This is better than the first week of our training,_ Edward thought to himself. He kneeled beside the sleeping lady and called, "Mimosa? Hey?"

"Sorry, I think it's no use," Ives sighed and ruffled his own hair. "It's impossible to wake her up once she's sleeping."

Edward moved his right hand to shake Mimosa's shoulder. Then, his eyes widened, and he wondered if he was actually dreaming.

Ripples appeared in the air where his fingers were, and the sight of the sleeping Mimosa rippled along with them. The image broke into a static, and Edward pulled his hand back. When the image finally cleared, Mimosa was no longer there.

In its place was a mossy log of wood.

* * *

A/N: This one's a bit shorter than the rest, but I feel that this is the perfect place to cut it off sooo.

I planned to have this uploaded earlier this week but... I snagged a writer's block on this one. It's also a reason why this is a bit short. On the other hand Mimosa's disappearance is an important plot point, so at least I got there.

Oh well, I hope I can make the next chapter longer to make up for this one. Hopefully I can have it uploaded some time next week.

Hope you enjoyed this, and please leave a review!


	5. Monkshood

Chapter Five: Monkshood

* * *

 _Monkshood carries a message; Beware, a deadly foe is near._

* * *

When Kaiser arrived at the scene, he wasn't accompanied by a large mob like Alphonse had feared, but instead with a large hunting rifle in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

"Mr. Lotus… why do you bring that rifle around with you?" Alphonse asked in confusion.

"To scare the townsfolk away," Kaiser swung the rifle and used his shoulder to support it. "The whole town was ready to bring pitchforks and burning torches and beat you two up to death. I need something to make sure they don't get close enough to the two of you."

Behind him, Fletcher, who had gone to search for the mayor before shrugged helplessly. Alphonse, however, was relieved that Kaiser still had ways to ward the townspeople off. Considering that yet another disappearance had happened – with Edward right in the middle of it all – he had a feeling that if the townsfolk plan to get rid of his brother, it wouldn't be with smiles but rather with a stab to the stomach.

"Tell me what happened here," Kaiser commanded. Ives, who had been staring at the log the whole time, quickly explained what had happened. Alphonse stared at him intently while he listened. Somehow, Ives seemed to be quite calm despite the situation.

"Is that so," Kaiser hummed thoughtfully after Ives was finished. He turned to Fletcher. "Nash, please accompany Mr. Fennel to the town hall to file this." Then he turned to Edward and Alphonse. "You two should go back to my house. I'll accompany you there."

"Are you sure?" Alphonse shifted uncomfortably. "I mean isn't the townspeople supposed to be the highest priority?"

"Normally it is, but if I leave you I'm afraid the whole town will commit double murder on you two." He casted a meaningful glance at his rifle. "Hopefully this will be enough to hold them back."

"And if isn't?" Edward asked quietly.

"Alchemy," Kaiser answered. "But coming from you, they may confuse it to some sort of fairy magic."

Edward clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Let's just return, now," Kaiser motioned towards the town. "It may be full moon tonight but staying out in the dark isn't going to do us any good."

The five walked quickly back to town, leaving the log leaning against the tree. When they entered the town, Edward was assaulted by the townspeople's glares and accusing whispers.

 _Another one disappeared? Just now?!_

 _Must've been his fault._

 _When will he be satisfied?_

 _We should've driven him away._

 _Maybe he's better off dead._

If he had a body, a chill would have climbed up Alphonse's spine, and judging by how Edward was walking a bit more stiffly than usual he was sure Edward felt absolutely unsafe. From the corner of his eye he saw someone picking a rock from the ground. The motion didn't go unnoticed by Kaiser, as he quickly cocked his rifle threateningly, making Edward jump in surprise and the man drop the rock. At Kaiser's glare, the man backed away slowly.

As Edward watched the fleeing man, Ives spoke up, "Did you give my sister to the fairies?"

Edward met Ives' glaring eyes. "I don't even believe they exist."

"You've just seen someone changing into a log of wood!"

Edward shook his head. "That's another topic entirely. I don't wish for anyone to disappear, ever. That should be answer enough for you."

Ives' eyes pierced into Edward's. He gave a nod and looked away. "I should've known she was going to go missing anytime soon," he grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Alphonse asked. Ives didn't answer.

Edward stared at the man still, but decided not to ask anything. He sighed and turned away. Alphonse felt a pang of sadness rising within him. He was more or less safe from the hostility because he possessed none of the fairy-like traits with his body. No, it was more accurate to say that he was the ultimate fairy-repelling charm, considering that he was practically all iron. If he had his own body, he might have been able to share the burden, even though he was sure Edward wouldn't let him.

He never allowed him to get hurt. But Alphonse hurt if he had to see Edward suffer. The older Elric never seemed to realize that.

Edward blinked and cursed softly all of a sudden. He turned to Kaiser. "Do you have a phone in your house? I think I need to call my CO."

"No, unfortunately," Kaiser answered. "But we have two or three in the town hall. You can use one of them."

Alphonse looked at Edward in confusion. "The colonel?"

Edward nodded. "I hate to admit it but we definitely need help in here." He let out a long sigh. "I just really hope he wouldn't use this to mock me…"

It didn't take long for them to reach the town hall, and Kaiser quickly directed Edward and Alphonse to the nearest telephone while Ives and Fletcher went to file the newest disappearance. Edward glanced to the window near where the phone was put, which overlooked the road that led straight to the forest, and Alphonse followed his gaze. From the window he could see the forest as well, dark yet somehow alluring at the same time.

"Hey, Al, do you remember the colonel's office's phone number?" Edward asked as he took out his notebook to look for his military code.

"Yeah, I remember," Alphonse answered and quickly rattled off the numbers. Edward put in the numbers with quick succession. He waited until the call was connected, tapping his foot on the floor somewhat impatiently, the receiver safely tucked under his ear. At one point Kaiser told them he would go to check on the disappearance records, but it was clear Edward didn't pay any attention to it.

"Good evening, Eastern Command," the phone sang when the call was finally connected.

"Yeah, this is Major Edward Elric, I need to speak with Colonel Mustang right now," Edward requested without wasting any time.

"Of course. But we cannot connect from an outside line, so for verification can I have your code please?"

Edward's eyes ran over his code and he scowled a bit. "Tango – Inkwood – November – Yogurt – Zero – Two – Three."

There was a short pause. "Your code was verified, please hold while I connect you."

Alphonse stared at Edward, partly in amusement and partly in curiosity. "Your military code is TINY-023?"

Edward glared at the phone with burning passion. "It's that damn colonel. I'm sure he did something and made sure I end up with that kind of ridiculous code."

"Oh, come on, Brother. I'm sure he wouldn't go that far."

Edward opened his mouth to retort but closed it again. "Well, maybe. He's just too lazy for it. But I'm sure he did this! If you were the one to get the code he'd probably make it something like IRON-101 or – "

A sudden loud, piercing shriek stopped Edward from talking further. He exchanged looks with Alphonse and peered outside of the window, catching the sight of a woman wearing a long white dress. Her long dirty grey hair was a mess, and face contorted in an ugly way that made her seem inhuman. Her eyes locked with Edward's, and she pointed right at him, screaming shrilly at the top of her lungs.

"What the hell?" Edward whispered, more than just a little disturbed. The phone's receiver dangled by its chord, forgotten.

The sudden sound of running feet coming closer drew their attention away from the shrieking lady. Ives, Fletcher, and Kaiser stood near them, the latest panting a little at the exertion.

"Why is it here?" Ives whispered.

"Who's that?" Edward asked him instead, pointing at the screaming lady.

It was Kaiser who answered, face looking grim. "It's a fairy known as Banshee," he explained, low voice rumbling above the high-pitched screams. "Banshees… they are known to announce someone's death by shrieking. Most likely, someone in this building will die soon."

Edward turned back to see the lady. She had stopped screaming and had now started to move into the forest. Edward's eyes widened, and Alphonse knew immediately that he was weighing his options. He prepared himself to take whatever action necessary according to what Edward decided to do.

He saw Edward clenching his fists in determination, and he knew his brother had decided.

Quickly, Edward yanked the window open and started to climb out. He had one of his feet dangling out when a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"What are you doing?" Fletcher snapped. "She's heading to the forest!"

"Chase and capture her!" Edward snapped right back, and Alphonse almost smacked himself. _Of course_ Edward would choose pursuit. "I need to solve this case as soon as possible! None of us want another disappearance!"

" _She is heading to the forest_!" Fletcher hissed, grip tightening. "It's dangerous enough there in the afternoon, there's no telling what's out there at night! You can't be going there without protection!"

Edward growled, clearly tired of having to deal with it. He put the fingertips of his automail hand in his mouth and took off his glove using his teeth. He grabbed the glove and threw it recklessly over his head before wriggling his automail fingers in front of Fletcher's face, who was shocked enough to let go of him. "This is steel, and last time I checked it's more than enough to protect me."

He jumped out of the window without letting Fletcher regain his bearing. Seeing the sudden movement, Fletcher reached out to grab him, but only managing to grip on the tail of his coat before it slipped out of his hold.

"Wait, Brother!" Alphonse yelled after Edward, turning to dash from the door. "I'm going too – "

"Stop!" Fletcher quickly latched on his arm, and Ives his other arm, while Kaiser was in front of him and pushing him back.

"We don't need even more victim! You stay here!" Kaiser ordered.

"But Brother is – "

"Alphonse!" Kaiser's stern cry stopped Alphonse from struggling. "Please. You need to stay."

"I'll try looking for him," Ives offered, "first thing in the morning."

Alphonse stubbornly struggled.

" _Alphonse_!"

Alphonse froze at the desperation in Fletcher's voice, and he stared at the man. Fletcher said nothing, only keeping his gaze. Alphonse looked down at last. "Alright," he whispered. "Alright. If he doesn't get back tomorrow morning, though…"

"I'll look for him," Ives eased.

Alphonse turned to look at the open window. Edward was no longer in sight. Trying to catch up to him would be useless. He sighed and nodded. Ives and Fletcher let him go, and Kaiser stepped away. Alphonse's eyes kept staring at the window, straight to the forest. A part of him was still urging him to chase Edward. He tried hard to suppress that part.

His eyes fell upon the phone receiver, still dangling by its chord pitifully. Alphonse grasped it in his hand and put it near his helmet, listening.

The phone call was no longer connected.

* * *

Edward ran.

The town, bustling although dark just a moment before, had become eerily silent after the banshee had stopped screeching. He could see the white of the banshee's dress fleeting ahead of him, vanishing behind green leaves of the forest. He fastened his pace, determined not to lose track of the so called fairy.

The forest was dark, but luckily the full moon hanging in the clear sky was more than enough to provide dim light to illuminate his path. His keen eyes searched for a glint of white from the silhouettes of the trees. When he caught it, he dashed ahead.

Slowly, buzzing mumbles filled his ears, much like how it was earlier in the afternoon. The voices sounded worried and panicked, for some reason. He could feel the things tugging at his hair again, painfully, this time in desperation and not admiration. The sensation distracted him, and he lost track of the banshee. He growled and swatted at his hair in an attempt to get the sensation away, annoyed.

He then felt a tiny prick at his cheek, making him hiss in surprise. It felt like a tiny hand had just pinched him angrily. The buzz in his ears intensified, and he got the general feeling of someone telling him to back off before he got hurt, that he needed to go away, that this was too dangerous for him and he had to go before anything happened to him. He frowned, wondering just how he got that kind of feeling and more than a little annoyed that someone might be underestimating his capability. He was a State Alchemist! He could stand his ground!

Another tug at his hair, and he moaned angrily. "Knock it off!" he hissed at nothing in particular. "I need to get her! I can't let any more disappearance happen!"

The mumbles quieted and the tugging ceased. Then, slowly, the buzzing built again, and he could feel more tugging at his hair. This time it felt more like the tugging he felt when he was led to the track marks and the flower hair clip. He followed it.

The flower hair clip… it was still nagging him, how it felt familiar to him. He decided to forget about it for the time being.

The tugging led him to the right direction, and before long he had caught sight of the white of the banshee's dress again. He almost dashed again when he saw that the banshee wasn't alone. He stopped, hiding himself behind a tree, and watched the banshee walking to a figure that Edward found familiar, for some reason. His eyes narrowed, and when he heard the buzzing in his ears getting louder he shushed it. He needed to know what was happening in here. The creatures mumbling and muttering in his ears seemed to understand this, as they gradually grew silent, even though Edward could still feel his hair being tugged anxiously.

The banshee's hair glinted in the moonlight. The banshee lifted her hand and grabbed a fistful of it and pulled. It came loose right away, revealing dirty blonde hair tied up in a bun underneath of the messy grey tresses. Edward's eyes widened. So the fairy really was a fake after all. The question was, who was this fraud?

"I did what you asked me to," the faux banshee said to the figure. "I don't think he managed to get here, but he's probably somewhere in the woods."

"Thanks," said the figure, turning to face the faux banshee. It was a she. Edward couldn't see her face because the shades of the tree she was standing under prevented him from doing so, but her voice sounded familiar. "We need him somewhere close though. If he gets back to town it would be all for nothing. We can't have a banshee screaming in a town at the same person twice."

"Of course. That would be really suspicious. Have your brother contacted Borya yet?"

"He has. We will bring all of the preferred items to him in three days, in the evening."

Edward leaned forward, eyes growing wide. Before he could stop himself, he whispered, "Mimosa?"

The two's attention was quickly drawn towards him. Mimosa was frozen for a moment before she called out, "Edward…?"

"You're here?" Edward stepped out of his hiding place, seeing no point in hiding any longer. The buzzing in his ears intensified once more, panicked. "But I thought you were taken."

Mimosa stepped to him carefully. "Edward, I need you to listen."

Edward looked between Mimosa and the faux banshee. For some reason, she kept her face away from his line of sight. His head replayed the two girls' conversation, and suddenly it clicked. He turned to Mimosa, eyes accusing. " _You_ did this?" he asked. " _You_ kidnapped all those people?"

Mimosa took another step towards him. "Edward, please. I have my reasons!"

"It doesn't matter! You still took them!" Edward stepped back, intent to keep a fair distance from the girl.

Mimosa fell silent for a moment before she straightened. "I wouldn't be able make you listen, would I?" she asked, putting her hands into her skirt's pocket. When she pulled them out, she was holding a glove in each hand. She slipped them on with a grim expression in her face. "I don't want to force you to do anything, Edward, but please. Come with us quietly."

"Where are the missing townspeople?" Edward ignored Mimosa's request.

"Do you refuse to come with us?"

Edward frowned. "Yeah, I refuse."

Mimosa hung her head and sighed. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to go through this." She stretched out her left hand and waved.

Blue zapped from the transmutation circle sewn into the palm of the glove covering her left hand. The air rippled. Edward's eyes widened. It was just like when he saw the sleeping Mimosa changing into a log of wood, only in a much larger scale. His vision was flooded with bright colors pulsing quickly, making him feel dizzy just to look at them. The buzzing in his ears changed into frantic screech before they dispersed away, most likely fleeing.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw someone jumping at him. He quickly clapped and transmuted his automail into a blade, slicing away whatever coming to him, only to find it to be a small pebble instead of a threatening man. He mumbled a "What?" in confusion before he saw a big log of wood thrown to his head. He ducked and slashed the wood, only to find it to be a small twig. He turned around warily, mind quickly assessing what was going on. So Mimosa was an alchemist. The drawings of lines and circles in her house was probably her trying to practice making perfect shapes in order to create a good transmutation circle. She made illusions via transmutation… most likely, she adjusted the water molecules in the air and adjust it to reflect the light and created an image that she wanted.

It was such an advanced alchemy, too. Edward wondered how long it took her to learn it.

"I'm going to ask you this again, Edward," he heard Mimosa's voice from somewhere beyond the pulsing light. "Come with us quietly."

"What about you just let me go back to town?" Edward requested instead. He didn't like the idea of Mimosa being able to create images of whatever she liked to appear to fool him.

"We both know I can't let you do that, Edward."

Edward cursed under his breath.

"Well, I'm not listening to you either!" he yelled. "There's no point keeping me here, you know."

"Unfortunately, Edward, you're wrong." Crackles of blue caught Edward's attention, and he shouted in surprise when a large tree came crashing down to him. Not having time to dodge, he closed his eyes and tried to shield his head.

Nothing crashed to him.

He peeked to see that a small pebble lay by his side. Realizing that the tree was only an illusion and not an actual tree, he cursed at his stupidity.

Another crackle of blue drew his attention away. Another tree came crashing down at him. He dodged it while his automail sliced the tree in two. A broken twig fell pitifully to the ground.

Edward growled. "Is this all that you can do? Throwing illusions around to see if I'll fall for it? Hardly the best battle plan, don't you think?"

The third crackle of blue was hardly surprising. He stood his ground when another huge tree came to his head. He held his automail blade ahead to nick at the image of the wood to disrupt the illusion and break it, only to find that it was real wood. His eyes widened and instincts kicked in, and he jumped away from the tree, screaming obscenities and hoping he was fast enough to avoid dying from being buried under a tree. He wasn't planning to die anytime soon, and if he did plan to die it was most certainly _not_ by getting crushed by a tree. A dog was bad enough, let alone a tree.

He was too late.

The tree crashed to the ground with a loud booming sound. Edward lay on his stomach, sore from the shockwave and unable to move because his automail foot was stuck under the wood.

"On the contrary," he heard Mimosa saying, "I think it's a pretty good battle plan." There was a pause before she asked, "Who in the world taught you to speak that way? Someone ought to take a soap and clean your mouth with it."

"Shut it!" Edward shouted. The pulsing colors slowly faded away. "Who cares about what kind of language I'm using, it's not like anyone's going to throw me to jail for it – " he stopped talking. A woman – Edward was sure it was the fake banshee – stood in front of him, peering down at him. He craned his neck to look at her face and froze instantly. The lilac dress and the white apron she was wearing, the light chestnut of her hair that was tied in a loose side ponytail, the soft smile that occupied her lips, the gentle green eyes twinkling happily at him.

It was impossible, but she was standing there right in front of him. _The dead will never come back to life_ , his mind whispered, but he couldn't help but call, "Mom…?"

The word tasted like betrayal in his tongue.

Trisha Elric stared at him with that gentle smile he knew all too well plastered in her face. And Edward waged a war with himself. He kept telling himself that it was impossible, there was no way it was the real Trisha, it must be another part of Mimosa's illusion. But a small part of him wished that this was real, no matter how impossible it might be. He looked away and closed his eyes shut.

Something crashed to his head. The wave of pain, dizziness, and disorientation swallowed him whole, and black spots danced in his vision. He took a ragged breath, mouth forming the word 'mom' once more but his voice refused to work.

Another hit to the head, and Edward knew no more.

* * *

Roy Mustang tapped his finger on the table repeatedly. Only yesterday evening, he got a phone call from Edward. That in itself was a rarity and should be treated with caution. The fact that later on he only heard screeching and yelling had driven him to the conclusion that Edward was simply pulling a prank on him. As a response he let the receiver drop into its place on the telephone, effectively cutting the connection.

Now, though, he wasn't so sure.

It was completely possible that the call was a genuine cry of distress and a problem occurred during the connection that made the younger alchemist unable to report to him. Roy regretted having cut the call, realizing that the possibility of Edward being in trouble was very much real.

His eyes strayed over to the day's share of paperwork and they narrowed in distaste. He picked a paper from the stack and a pen and began doodling Black Hayate on it. He would probably get some scolding from Riza later, but he was in no mood to do his paperwork. No, his time was much more worthy to be used to doodle dogs on paperwork papers and worrying about his subordinate.

The phone rang loudly. He picked it up after the second ring. "Colonel Roy Mustang speaking."

"There is a call from an outside line from someone called Alphonse Elric. He claims to be brothers with Major Edward Elric, and the code matches."

"I'm taking the call," Roy answered before the lady even finished talking.

It didn't take long before he heard Alphonse's timid "Hello?" over the phone.

"Alphonse?" he called. "What's wrong? Why isn't Fullmetal the one speaking?"

There was a pause. "There is a problem, Colonel…" He heard Alphonse taking a deep breath, and he braced himself. What kind of destruction had Edward caused this time? How many houses had me managed to destroy, partially or not, through alchemy? How much property damage had he caused now? Did he need to bail the shrimp out of jail?

He wasn't prepared for Alphonse's news:

"Brother's gone missing."

* * *

A/N: I might have a thing with Edward being kidnapped. Happened in To Bleed Each Other White too, didn't it? And it might pop out in other fics too. I seriously wonder why I love that trope so much.

I have a feeling that this chapter's title doesn't really fit, but I honestly couldn't find a better one. I thought a flower that can symbolize how Ed ran off and was gone should do but I could only think of 'loss' and that's bellflower. If any of you have a better fit, please tell me, so I can change the title to fit the chapter better.

To anyone who have been suspicious about Mimosa and Ives, congrats! Your suspicion is well placed. Their motives will be explained in later chapters. I have a feeling that this won't have that many chapter though, maybe 10 at most. Which is a good thing because whenever I try to make my stories really long I tend to lose focus and interest and the quality would drop to abysmal level...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review on your way out! Have a nice day!

*edit: I've changed the chapter title to monkshood, which might fit better. My thanks to DreamOfStories who gave me this wonderful input. You rock!


	6. Christmas Rose

Chapter Six: Christmas Rose

* * *

 _Christmas rose stands for anxiety. However, it may also stand for 'tranquilize my anxiety'._

* * *

" _To be completely honest, Colonel, this may be our hardest case yet. The people who trust us in here can be counted using one hand. All of the townspeople accuse Brother of being a changeling, and they've all been intent to drive us away from here."_

" _We did found some clues in the woods… some track marks, but we're not sure what that means yet. They lead to north."_

" _He… he chased a banshee. He ran straight into the woods. We've tried looking for him earlier this morning but we can't pick up a trail, for some reason. Colonel… I'm scared. What if something happened to Brother?"_

Roy stared out of the window of the train, thinking deeply about Alphonse's words over the phone. A part of him was in rage. Just how stupid can Fullmetal get, to actually run after a banshee into the woods at night, despite what the townspeople told him? They knew more about the woods. They had been there a long time. How reckless did he need to be?

Another part, however, was worried. Edward had been lost for a night. Who knew what could happen in that span of time.

"Dammit, Fullmetal."

Couldn't this train go faster?

"Sir?"

Roy straightened up at the call and turned to face Hawkeye and Havoc, who came with him to Faeburn while Breda, Falman, and Fuery stayed at the office. They were staring at a map, and Roy frowned, asking, "What is it?"

"Alphonse said that the track marks he and the chief found goes to north, right?" Havoc asked. "If we look at this map, if they go straight up north, it means the tracks head to the desert."

"Could it be that all the missing people were taken there?" Hawkeye frowned.

Roy gritted his teeth. "Once we get to the station in Faeburn, we'll find Alphonse and scour the woods once more. Maybe we can see something they somehow missed."

The two subordinates nodded. Roy clenched and unclenched his fists in an attempt to calm himself, careful not to accidentally setting his gloves off of a spark.

He was starting to regret having sent Edward in this mission.

* * *

Edward woke up to the sound of soft sobbing.

His eyes slowly fluttered open. He blinked a few times to clear his vision, trying to get a look of where he was. He cursed softly at the pounding headache that tortured his head and the heaviness of his eyelids and limbs. He felt like had been hit at the head and drugged to oblivion. Which he probably had.

He forced himself to have a look around him. The place was dim and cool, and he was sure he was lying on damp soil, and that the wall was that of earth. He pulled himself to a sitting position, only to fall again when he realized that his hands had been cuffed at his back. It was most likely some kind of old fashioned wooden cuffs, judging how he couldn't bring his hands together.

Why was there a sobbing sound?

He tried to get himself to sit once again, succeeding this time. To his dismay, he realized that one of his ankles was chained to the wall. It was clear that he was a prisoner here.

He looked around, trying to locate the source of the sound, and soon his eyes landed on a girl in green pajamas. Her dark hair was pulled into braided pigtails. Like Edward, her ankle was chained to the wall, but she had no handcuffs. Edward squinted his eyes, feeling a tug of recognition, and softly called, "Kelly?"

The girl froze and turned back slowly. Her wide eyes were glistening with tears. "Who are you?" she asked, voice small and trembling. Then her eyes widened even more, recognizing his face. "Aren't you the person with that big armor?"

Edward nodded. "I'm Edward. You're Kelly, right?"

She nodded, sniffing. "Noll said you're a changeling, and that you're bad." She wiped her tears away. "He said my friends are gone because your friends took them."

"Well, I don't know what makes him think so," Edward shifted to show Kelly his cuffed hands and chained ankle, "but I don't have any friends that would want to do that. I don't know who took your friends. I wanted to find them and help them return home, but I got caught too."

Kelly stared. "So… you're not bad?"

Edward shook his head. "No."

Kelly stared for a bit before she crawled closer to him. Seeing the movement, Edward shifted closer to her as well. As soon as they were right next to each other, Kelly gripped the fabric of Edward's coat with trembling fingers. "It's scary in here," she said. "It's dark, and it's cold, and they never talk to me."

"They?" Edward repeated. "Can you tell me who they are?"

"The two big sisters and two big brothers who took me," Kelly's answer was soft.

"Do you recognize them, Kelly?"

Kelly didn't say anything for a while. "They said I'll never see my family again," she mumbled. "Do you think it's true?"

"I'm sure you'll see them again soon," Edward felt his heart sink, hoping that they could somehow get away.

"What will they do to us?"

Edward shook his head. "I don't know." He looked into Kelly's eyes with confidence, "But I won't let them hurt you."

"Really?"

"Really. I promise."

She stared into his eyes for a moment before she laid herself down and used Edward's lap as a pillow. He looked down at her, surprised, but said nothing.

"I wanna go home," Kelly mumbled.

Edward thought of Alphonse, who was sure to be worrying about him then. Guilt bloomed in his chest for doing this to his brother, and worry grew alongside it, wondering if Alphonse was okay. "Yeah," he mumbled back, "me too."

They stayed like that for a long time, Edward sitting rather awkwardly while Kelly laid down with her head on his lap, finding comfort in each other's company in the dark prison they shared. Edward, however, had begun looking around, searching for something he might be able to use to create a transmutation circle on the wooden cuffs. But there was nothing. Not even the tiniest rock. Edward gritted his teeth, swearing up and down inwardly, wishing that there was a way to get out, somehow.

Seeing that he couldn't break the cuffs, he resorted to find a possible escape route instead. Maybe if he could somehow break the chain later and make a break outside… but what about Kelly? He couldn't possibly leave her here alone. He had to make sure they both made it out. Maybe he should check if there was any more kidnapped children too.

The place was suddenly flooded with light. Edward stiffened in surprise while Kelly shot up, quickly gripping Edward's coat and trying to make herself look as small as possible. Edward's eyes narrowed as he stubbornly gazed into the light, trying to see whatever was beyond it. He heard oncoming footsteps, and soon the place was dark again.

He blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the dark. He could soon make out the shape of a person – a female – walking towards the two of them. He shifted his position to shield Kelly, intent to keep her safe despite his own predicament. Behind him, Kelly's grip tightened.

Two trays were put in front of him, containing a plate with piece of bread, meat, and gravy as well as a glass of water on each. He stared at them, dumbfounded, and looked up at the person who put them there. She was still standing before him. "Time to eat," she said simply before turning away.

He frowned at this behavior, not expecting to be treated so well. "My hands are cuffed behind my back. I can't do that," he said slowly.

"Not my problem. You can eat straight from the plate for all I know, Dog of the Military."

As his vision gradually grew clearer, he began to feel that the newcomer's features were familiar. Dirty blond hair that fell into place, striking blue eyes that stood out even in the dark. He took a silent gasp when he finally recognized the stranger's face.

"Agnes Caster?"

The woman froze for a moment before she slowly turned to face him. She stared quietly, not making any sound, but Edward didn't need her speaking to be sure of her identity. She was the carbon copy of the person he saw in the photograph in Fennel household.

"You're Agnes Caster, aren't you?" Edward asked again, knowing that he was right.

A smile bloomed in the woman's face. "I was beginning to wonder when you'd realize it, Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist."

Edward glared. "To think that the first missing person is the one behind this all…"

She chuckled at that, shaking her head a bit. "You're smart, but you haven't really figured this out," she sighed. She eyed him curiously. "Hey, how do you get those fairies to flock around you?"

The sudden question threw Edward aback. "What?"

"Those fairies. When you found out Mimosa was one of the people who did this, they were all around you. Once she started using alchemy they ran away."

"What are you talking about?" Outwardly, Edward looked incredulous, but inwardly he was pondering, was it true? Were the invisible things tugging his hair really fairies?

"Oh, you probably can't see through their glamour," Agnes sighed and looked away. "Well… not that it matters. They probably just like your appearance."

"I seriously don't get what you're talking about."

Agnes gave him a smile, almost degrading. "You should probably eat. You wouldn't want to collapse here, would you?"

"Are you blind? I'm cuffed. I can't eat."

"Are you deaf? I told you I don't care how you eat."

Edward scowled at her, but she simply turned away and stared vacantly into the wall. He looked down to the trays and wondered if he really should eat directly from the plate using only his mouth. He had to admit that he was hungry, and the fact that the food smelled good didn't help.

Kelly tugged his sleeve and he looked at her. "I can feed you if you want to," she offered innocently, doing her best to ignore Agnes, who seemed to be making her uncomfortable.

A part of him wanted to deny the help. Another was insulted that Kelly, someone who was so much younger than him, attempted to baby him by way of feeding him. Yet another part of him realized his own uselessness in the matter and he sighed inwardly, knowing that he could only accept the help even though he wanted so hard to refuse. He weighed the option of actually eating dog-style, but realizing just how much problem he would be in if someone decided to attack him while he was bending down to have a bite, he gave the idea up. "Yes, please," he mumbled in defeat. He could've sworn Agnes smirked at this and it made him feel a swirl of shame and anger, but the smile in Kelly's face was almost worth it. At least she was no longer crying.

He let Kelly fed him as he kept watch of Agnes. She mostly kept staring at the wall, though she glanced at them every once in a while. It didn't take long before Kelly finished feeding him and licked her own plate clean. She immediately settled on his lap again and dozed off. All of a sudden Edward wondered what was mixed in the food he had just eaten. Was there sleeping drug mixed into it?

Agnes turned and fixed her gaze to him, and he returned the look calmly. Another smile graced her lips and she mused, "You're probably wondering why I'm doing this. Are you?"

"Somewhat," Edward answered. To be completely honest he didn't care about what her motives were, but keeping her talking was probably safer for him. Plus it gave him time to try to figure out how to break out of his restraints and get out of the prison he was in.

The smile in her lips changed, somewhat looking bitter. "Do you know how it feels to work so hard for everyone to be safe and happy, but everyone keeps saying that you're crazy? That you're a lunatic that should be locked up and never let out? Do you know how it feels to be rejected over and over again no matter your best intention?"

The townspeople's rejection of him played itself in his mind, and Edward couldn't help but feel a kind of kinship with his captor. He remembered Mimosa telling him about how Agnes' belief of fairies and how she tried to protect the townsfolk by way of telling them to stop chopping certain trees to avoid their probable fury.

But still, that didn't excuse her of kidnapping people.

"I couldn't care less about the townsfolk," Agnes continued. "Whether they stayed in Faeburn or go away, I don't care. I only wanted to get back at one person."

Edward looked straight at her at this.

She looked away. "I already got her. Now I'm just helping Mimosa and Ives."

 _So they're both in this,_ Edward thought. "Who was it that you had your eyes on?"

Agnes' smile turned a little gleeful, for some reason. She turned her back on Edward, clearly refusing to speak any more.

After studying the place again and unsuccessfully trying to scratch a transmutation into the cuffs, Edward felt his eyelids growing heavy with sleep. Realizing that his suspicion about the food had been confirmed, he rattled off a few curses, drawing Agnes' attention to him.

"Mimosa was right, someone should wash your mouth with a soap," she said with a frown. "I take the drug's finally taking effect?"

Edward didn't answer. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his thought of sleep but it wasn't helping. If anything, his eyelids only grew heavier.

"Don't fight it. Just go to sleep. I have no intention to harm you, nor the little girl. You're still of some use, after all."

"What are you going to do with us?"

Agnes didn't answer. She simply stared as Edward fought the pull of sleep. Even though he tried his best to stay awake, he couldn't win the battle. After a while, fatigue overcame him and he laid on the ground, vision blocked by darkness and consciousness fogged by the drug, and sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

The stop station was so worn down, Roy was surprised it didn't crumble when he stepped foot on it.

Roy stared at the hunk of concrete warily, staring at the moss and the mold growing on it. Someone needed to get the place an upgrade. And maybe make the place a little more visitor-friendly. Hopping down the train in the middle of a forest wasn't exactly the most welcoming thing in the world.

He shook his head and stretched a little. The trip had taken a whole night, and he was sore. After Alphonse's call in the afternoon the day before, Roy, Hawkeye and Havoc hopped on the train as soon as possible, and as soon as possible ended up being early evening that day. After a whole night on the trip, they finally reached the stop.

"We will have to find the mayor, Sir," Hawkeye spoke as she looked around the forest surrounding the stop post.

Roy nodded, calmly patting his blue military uniform and making sure he looked wholly presentable. "And we'd better do it fast. Come on."

Roy took the lead and walked ahead, Hawkeye and Havoc behind him. The morning sun was warm on his back, and the trees provided a shade that prevented them from being blinded by the light. His feet kept walking on the small dirt road, but his eyes darted left and right, taking in any sign of a hiding enemy. His hands, already covered in his ignition gloves, flexed in an attempt to prepare for an ambush, if there was one.

At the edge of his vision he caught a glint of white. One of his arms stretched backwards to stop his subordinates and his other hand quickly poised to a snap, fingertips pressing together dangerously but not actually creating a spark. He looked around, trying to spot any suspicious movement, but found none.

"Sir?"

"Nothing," he straightened, fingers rubbing together in a careful manner as to not create a spark by accident. Still his eyes searched around, even as he resumed his steps. "Let's go."

Soon, they reached the town, where it was positively bustling. Many of the townsfolk seemed to be surprised, shocked even, that three military personnel had made their way to the small town in the middle of nowhere, but it didn't seem to change their mood all that much.

"What's going on here?" Roy asked a random passerby.

"Didn't you hear? The faeling's gone!" the man answered. "Now there's no one to take any of our children anymore."

Roy stared at the man while he walked away, skipping as if he had springs on his heels. Edward was gone, and these people were happy with it?

"Wow, sounds like these people really hated the chief," Havoc muttered in part disbelief and part pity.

"Alphonse did say that these people had been trying to get them out of town," Roy noted unhappily. He didn't think it would be this bad. They resumed their march to the city hall to find the mayor. Soon, the building loomed ahead of them, and they calmly went inside.

A man with dark hair and green eyes wearing black clothes strode up to them immediately. "I assume you are Colonel Roy Mustang?" he asked without wasting any time.

"That would be me," Roy said, stepping ahead. "And these two are my subordinates. First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc. And you are?"

"Kaiser Lotus, the town mayor," he answered curtly. "Things have been hectic here lately, I apologize for not having able to send anyone to get you."

"It's alright," Roy waved him off. "Is Alphonse Elric here? I need to talk to him."

"He stayed in my house," Lotus walked ahead and opened the door. "Come, I will take you there."

The walk to Lotus' house was longer than Roy had hoped it would be. Lotus, however, made sure that no time was wasted by telling them what exactly happened after Edward was gone. Apparently, after he recklessly ran after the banshee Alphonse had tried to go after him but was stopped by the mayor and two of the townspeople. Early in the morning, they organized a search, though none of the townsfolk were enthusiastic. They couldn't find the alchemist, couldn't even pick up a trail, and was forced to stop looking when the search party got too scared to go deeper into the woods and breaching the fairies' territory. Alphonse had tried to persuade them to keep going but they refused. As such, they returned to town and Alphonse phoned the colonel.

Afterwards, Lotus had a suspicion that Alphonse would try to get back into the woods and search for his brother again. He told Alphonse to stay put and be with him at all time, but the younger alchemist refused to go with Lotus to the town hall, not wanting to see the townspeople rejoicing on his brother's disappearance. So the mayor let him be.

"To be completely honest I was expecting that my subordinate had blown up buildings or made some kind of collateral damage of the sort," Roy admitted as they walked inside Lotus' house. "This is infinitely worse."

Lotus gave a small smile. "It's hard not to care for a boy that young, isn't it?"

Roy frowned at the implication. "It's hard not to when the paperwork that comes with him gives you headache at least once a week."

Lotus' smile grew wider, this time in amusement. "I see. Somehow, it's not very surprising." He walked up the stairs of the house, the military men following him close, and knocked on a door once he reached the second floor. "Alphonse," he called. "The colonel is here." There was no response, and Lotus frowned. "Alphonse?"

"I have a bad feeling about this," Havoc muttered behind Roy. He had refrained from smoking indoors, but if a cigarette was resting between his lips Roy was sure he would be chewing it.

"Alphonse, I'm going in," Lotus announced and opened the door.

The room beyond the door was bright and cool, but there was no sign of a seven foot tall suit of armor anywhere. Roy took a deep breath and muttered a curse, turning around to avoid being heard. Hawkeye sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, while Havoc slapped a hand to his face and openly swore aloud.

Lotus walked inside and looked around before bending and picking a paper lying atop of a pillow on the bed. He read it quickly and sighed, shaking his head a little, before he handed the paper to Roy. "Here, Colonel. Alphonse left a note."

Roy took the note from Lotus' hand, recognizing Alphonse's neat handwriting immediately from the reports that Edward sometimes had Alphonse wrote for him. The note read,

 _Dear Mr. Lotus,_

 _I'm going to the forest to look for Brother again. Don't worry about me, I won't get lost! I took your yellow thread to mark my way. Sorry for not telling you earlier. I hope you don't mind._

 _Please tell the colonel that I'm sorry I can't greet him in person. If he wants to see what Brother and I investigated he can follow the trail of red thread we left. If he wants to find me, follow the yellow thread instead._

 _I'll make sure to get back before dark._

 _Alphonse_

Roy crumpled the note in his hand. "Mr. Lotus, can you tell me which way is the safest to the forest? I need to go find Alphonse."

* * *

A/N: yup. Finally done.

Sorry about being kinda late this time. I snagged a writer's block, sob. Thankfully I already know where I'd take this story, so it isn't the severe case of writer's block that completely stops you from writing.  
(And I kinda just ran off to _Almost_ instead. It's got multiple updates since I ended up writing it more. Oops.)

Anyway, I'm just glad that this is finished. It's midnight in my part of the world and I'm tired and I want to sleep till eternity... Wait. No I don't. I'd rather finish this first.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review before you go.

*edit: I just realized that the random passerby referred to Ed as 'changeling' instead of 'faeling'. Nope, my bad, sorry. Ed is faeling, not changeling. Changeling refers to someone else entirely.


	7. Primrose

Chapter Seven: Primrose

* * *

 _In Japanese culture, primrose stands for helplessness or desperation._

* * *

A part of Alphonse wanted to beat himself senseless for going off on his own recklessly. Another wanted to beat himself senseless for not doing it earlier.

To be completely honest, Alphonse wasn't sure which one was winning.

He walked around rather aimlessly, only searching for any kind of trail that Edward might have left. His hands worked to tie the yellow thread every now and then to mark his way back. He wondered if anyone would be mad at him for the stunt he was doing – most likely yes – and what kind of punishment the colonel might dish out to him. Even though he wasn't officially part of the military and Colonel Mustang had no real power over him, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't punish him for acting recklessly.

And Alphonse most likely would just accept it too. Even as he tied another yellow string, he was contemplating on how high his action would score in the act of recklessness scale. Granted, Edward would take the prize, but his own action was pretty much reckless and stupid at the same time.

His feet soon brought him to the elder tree where he first met Mimosa. He stared at bowing branches and the sweeping leaves, wondering if there was a trail of Edward somewhere there, and reached out to push the leaves and twigs to make way under the tree. Then he heard rustling voice from beyond the tree.

Acting on impulse, he turned around and leapt away as quickly and quietly as possible, crouching down behind a large bush to conceal himself as he peeked out from the jutting leaves.

A hand pushed out the twigs of the tree, and a head peeked out of the thicket, followed by the body of the owner. Long dark brown hair hung down, and the familiarity crashed to Alphonse, nearly making him gasp aloud.

Mimosa walked away from the tree, straightened and dusted herself to rid stray leaves from her clothes and hair. She looked around before walking away, further into the woods. Alphonse watched her as she went. Inwardly, he wondered if he should chase her, but somehow he felt that it wasn't such a good idea. He directed his gaze at the tree instead. Mimosa walked out of it. Was she hiding there, for some reason? Perhaps he could find a clue about Edward's whereabouts there too.

Careful as to not make a sound, Alphonse made his way to the tree and pushed the leaves away from his path as he ducked and walked under it. The leaves hid a cave-like area under the tree, which was dim with minimal amount of sunlight able to reach its way to the ground. He looked up, somewhat awed by the place, finally understanding why Mimosa 'thought if this as her secondary house', to quote Ives. His body had no ability to feel, but he knew for certain that this place was comfortably cool.

His eyes observed the place, looking for any clue that might be present. The glowing red eyes caught the sight of something that looked vaguely like a trapdoor. He kneeled next to it and ran a hand above the wood, clearing it away from the leaves that had fallen atop of it. To think that such a thing existed right here. He should've checked the tree right from the start.

He gripped the handle of the trapdoor and lifted it open. A set of stairs was revealed underneath him, and after contemplating a bit he put his foot down on it, slowly descending into the dark cave underneath. The wooden boards gave creaks that he hoped wouldn't alarm anyone inside.

Soon, his foot touched the ground. He looked around in high alert, scanning the place for any possible threat. He found none. Instead, his eyes caught the sight of two bodies sprawled upon the ground, one that he somehow found familiar and one that he had known for so long, he could recount every detail even after being separated for years.

"Brother!"

Alert for possible threat forgotten, he ran off to his brother and created echoing sound of metal pounding the earth. He skidded to a halt next to Edward, and he kneeled down and took him into his arms. Edward was out cold, hands bound with wooden cuffs behind his back and chain binding his foot. His hair was messy and his coat was ragged. Alphonse shook him gently, calling his name repeatedly, but there was no hint that Edward was waking up any time soon. Alphonse would have hyperventilated with panic if he had a body.

His sight fell to the little girl that lay beside Edward. After a beat, he recognized her as the missing girl, Kelly. His mind whirled at once, connecting the dots and making conclusions, and he felt himself going cold despite the fact that he was unable to feel it. He shook Edward again, more urgently this time, and hissed his name in hope that he could somehow wake his brother.

This time, Edward responded. He groaned weakly, eyebrows knitting together as he slowly pried his eyes open, blinking owlishly at the light. He looked around in disorientation before he locked eyes with Alphonse. "Al…?" he rasped softly.

"Brother…!" Alphonse sighed in relief before he shook Edward urgently again. "Brother, we need to go. There's no one here right now but we won't know when people will arrive – "

His words was cut with a sudden sound of banging metal. A force knocked him away as his helmet shot through the room and clanged against the wall. He dropped Edward in the process, and his brother yelled out in pain.

At the same time, a high-pitched scream rang through the cave.

His body clanged against the earthen floor and he turned to see who attacked him. His sight fell on a blond girl with blue eyes that stared at him in the familiar horrified way, with a club clenched in her hands. As he moved around, she let out a small 'eek' and pointed the end of the club at him defensively.

"Who are you?" she asked, adopting a more threatening stance. "How did you find out about this place?" Then, a bit more unsure, "…why are you hollow?!"

"Please calm down – " Alphonse tried to stand up while showing his palms in order to show her that he meant no harm, but the girl shrieked and swung the club once more, effectively knocking him down again. From the side, Edward groaned and called out to Alphonse.

"Stay where you are," she pointed the club at him.

Crackles of blue prevented him from doing anything anymore. The earth moved like coils, binding his arms and legs and covered his hangs down to the fingers, making him unable to move, and trying to scratch a transmutation circle would be impossible. He registered the sound of chain jingling and Edward yelling his name amidst the light and the sound of transmuting earth.

It seemed that the blonde was surprised, too, because she could only stare at his bound limbs wordlessly. She jumped when a voice suddenly called, "Agnes!"

"Moss…!" the blonde turned to the direction of the stairs as the sound of feet running down on the wooden boards echoed through the cave. "You're here?"

"Of course I am, you screamed so loudly! Are you alright?"

"I suppose…" the club was dropped.

The newcomer came closer to him and he gasped when he recognized her face. "Mimosa…!"

"Alphonse…" she muttered as she knelt beside him. "You're hollow?"

Alphonse stared at Mimosa's hands instead, staring at the transmutation circle stitched into the gloves she was wearing. "You can do alchemy?"

There was a sad smile in Mimosa's face. "It shouldn't be that much of a surprise. Your brother wasn't all that surprised either, I think."

"And are you behind all those disappearances, too?" there was a faint betrayal in Alphonse's voice.

"All but one," Mimosa admitted. "Agnes instigated her own disappearance."

"What – why would she – "

Mimosa didn't bother waiting for Alphonse to finish his sentence. She stood up and turned to the blonde – Agnes – and said, "We should move them now. We made quite the commotion, and while I don't think the people in the town can hear us from here I'm worried that someone might still be scouring through the woods."

"Okay," Agnes answered readily. "What about the transportation? Can you drive?"

"Ives taught me in case something like this happens." Mimosa unlocked the chain on Kelly's foot and lifted her. "We should hurry."

"You should go first, I'm standing guard here in case they try to do anything funny." Agnes glanced to Alphonse in suspicion as Mimosa muttered an 'okay'.

"Where are you taking her?!" Alphonse shouted after Mimosa.

"Somewhere you won't find her," Mimosa answered quietly. Then, softly, she added, "Please tell her family that I'm sorry. I have no choice."

"Wait! Mimosa! If you're sorry, then – "

"Alphonse." There was a dangerous edge to Mimosa's tone, and Alphonse stopped talking. "That strange symbol inside of you, isn't it the thing that keeps you bound to this world?" Alphonse jerked against his restraints. "I wonder what will happen if it happens to break."

Alphonse was quiet for a while before he called, "Mimosa… I – "

"Quit it," Agnes cut him off. "She's already gone."

Alphonse cursed inwardly and shifted his gaze to Edward, who was lying on his stomach and trembling, though he wasn't sure why. He hoped it wasn't because of pain. His bangs covered his face, but Alphonse could faintly hear the sound of gritting teeth and the more prominent sound of heavy breathing.

"Aaah, this is somewhat inconvenient…" Agnes sighed as she stared at Edward too.

"What did you do to him?" Alphonse asked her immediately, tone accusing.

"Nothing much, we simply put some sleeping drug into his food so he'll stay quiet," Agnes answered calmly. "But now that you've woke him up, he's actively trying to fight the drug and it seems that we won't be able to keep him down for long." She seemed to be able to feel the air of hostility Alphonse immediately produced, as she shrugged calmly. "You don't need to worry. He's only having a killer headache, it'll pass in a few hours. The drug doesn't have any long lasting effect. Granted, he may have some sudden headaches coming and going as well as general weak feeling and bouts of sleepiness, but other than that there is nothing life threatening in that drug."

"And that's supposed to be reassuring?" Alphonse asked harshly.

"Is there anything else I can say to reassure you?" Agnes asked back without missing a beat. "It's already done. There is no way to reverse the effect. There is no antidote. If you want the effects to pass you simply need to wait it out."

Alphonse willed his rage to disappear, though it wasn't of much use as he was still worried about Edward's condition. He hated that Agnes' words was sound with logic. He wanted to do something, anything, to put Edward out of his obvious misery. Yet he was bound, his blood seal exposed, absolutely helpless, useless, powerless. Remembering how Colonel Mustang was often said to be useless in the rain, he wondered if the colonel would feel the same as him right then.

"Where are you going to take him?" Alphonse asked when his anger had come to a more manageable level.

A small smile made its way to Agnes' face. "He will be a tribute of sorts, I suppose."

"For who?"

"That's not for your ears to hear," Agnes answered coldly. "That is, if you even have them."

Edward jerked all of a sudden, making Agnes jump and Alphonse turn to him. "Don't," he hissed to the blonde with strained voice, "you dare… speak to my brother like that."

"Regained your bearings already?" Agnes asked, sounding both surprised and somewhat disturbed at the same time.

As soon as the sentence left Agnes' mouth, Edward flopped back to the ground with a loud groan. "What the hell did you put in that food…?" he moaned. "Did you seriously feed Kelly that too? This thing feels like poison!"

"Don't worry about the girl, we gave her a lighter dose," Agnes answered him calmly. "We didn't want to take any chances with a State Alchemist, however."

The sound of descending footsteps on the stairs drew their attention away. "The girl is safe," Mimosa announced. "Let's take him next."

"Right," Agnes nodded and pulled Edward to his feet. He gasped at the sudden movement and swayed, ending up having to rely on Agnes' support to stay upright as Mimosa unlocked the chain binding his foot. When Agnes pulled him and he tried to step back in retaliation, however, his automail leg gave out and he fell to the ground with a shout, dragging Agnes together with him. He turned to look at the leg, shock clear in his face.

"Brother?"

Edward's eyes met Alphonse's vision as he gulped slightly. "I can't move my leg."

"Must have been because of that tree," Mimosa placed his hands below Edward's armpits and started heaving. "Agnes, help me carry him out."

"Wait – " Edward gasped when Agnes grabbed under his knees and together with Mimosa lifted him off the ground. "Stop! Al!" He struggled against their hold. "Alphonse!"

"Brother!" Alphonse, too, began struggling against the earthen bonds despite knowing the uselessness of such attempt. The earth that bound him was too strong to fight against.

"Stop… fighting!" Agnes hissed as Edward's flesh leg hit her stomach, making her drop his knees in pain. Mimosa, determined to bring him up no matter what, started dragging him by the torso. Edward countered by wriggling away from her hold and planted his flesh leg firmly into the ground. It didn't do much since Mimosa was still able to drag him away. In desperation, Edward let his body go limp and let go of all remaining energy inside of him, slumping to the ground and dragging Mimosa down.

Unfortunately, while Mimosa was clearly surprised by the choice, she recovered immediately and dragged him from his coat, treating him as if he was a lifeless corpse instead. "Agnes, come on."

"I swear, Mimosa, if you bring troublesome people like this again…"

"Stop it!" Edward struggled again, intent not to be dragged away, to little success. He was halfway up the stairs when he stopped yelling to be released and started screaming for Alphonse. "Al! Alphonse!"

Alphonse responded by calling out his brother repeatedly, alternating between 'Brother' and 'Ed' in desperation. Soon, Edward was out of sight, and slowly his voice grew fainter and fainter before it was swallowed by the loud sound of an engine being started and a vehicle driving away.

And all the curse words Alphonse learned from Edward but never used himself flowed out from him like a river, before he fell silent, defeated.

* * *

To say that Roy was frustrated was a huge understatement.

How can he not be? First, he sent his subordinate away on a mission that was meant for the military folks in the North to be a test for the young boy. Then, when he thought that it was going well for Edward, he got a report that no, it hadn't been going well at all, the people didn't trust him and wanted him gone, and he had _actually gone missing_. Then, when he went there to give a helping hand to find his subordinate and put the case to a close, the very brother of the subordinate who called him for help went and searched for his brother on his own and might very well be missing as well.

Yup. Roy was having the urge to incinerate something.

And he was currently stuck in the woods with Hawkeye and Havoc, having reached the end of the tied string Alphonse had left in his wake. They chose to follow the yellow string to find him, but then at one point it ended, and the boy was nowhere in sight.

"Should we just go back?" Havoc asked, looking around.

"No, let's try to find a trail first," Roy decided.

Hawkeye, ever the loyal follower, nodded calmly and started to look around, intense eyes blazing in concentration. Her eyes suddenly widened in surprise, though, when her clipped hair suddenly came undone and her long bound hair came undone. She let out a small surprised 'ah' as the clip fell to the forest floor. Then, just as she bent down to take the clip, she gasped and her eyes went even wider, hands coming up to hold her hair in somewhat protective manner, eyes darting around suspiciously.

"Lieutenant?" he asked, eyebrows knitting together. "Is there something wrong?"

"Something pulled my hair," Hawkeye answered, eyes still looking around in suspicion. She kneeled and took the clip from the ground before standing back up. "I'm not sure what."

"Looks like the fairy nonsense the people in the town talked about might be true," Havoc grinned goofily, though the way he chewed his cigarette told Roy that he was in high alert as well. He suddenly yelped aloud, cigarette slipping from his lips and falling to the ground. "Whoa. Something pulled my hair too, just now."

A sudden grunt from Hawkeye drew their attention to her, and to his surprise Roy saw that a strand of her blonde hair was floating midair, pulled by an invisible force. She pulled her head back in retaliation, but whatever it was that held her hair was stubborn enough to tug angrily and kept the hair in place.

"Boss, did I drink in the train before we got here?" Havoc asked Roy in a disbelieving tone.

"No, I don't think you did. I don't think I did, either," Roy answered in the same tone of voice.

The thing kept tugging at Hawkeye's hair, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Sir… I think it wants us to follow it."

"Following an invisible force doesn't rank up to high in my list of good ideas, Lieutenant," Roy frowned at her. "In fact, it scores pretty low in the list."

Riza stared at the space where her hair was floating, staring intently. "Whatever it is, I don't think it means to harm us," she said, putting her hair clip into her pocket. "I have a feeling that it's trying to lead us somewhere."

"Lieutenant, have you gone insane?"

Hawkeye glared at him.

Roy sighed. "Fine, we're following it. But if there's any chance that this might be dangerous, we're bolting away."

"Understood, Sir."

The three soon walked, Hawkeye in front and Havoc at the back with Roy walking in between. It felt somewhat strange, to have the order mixed up like that. Usually, Roy would have Hawkeye's comforting presence protecting his back, a steadfast yet feminine air hovering behind him that was ready to spike into a sharp, piercing aura at a moment's notice if danger was near. This time, at his back was Havoc. He felt the air at his back thick with alert, yet at the same time it was casual and relaxed. While Havoc's aim with guns might not be as good as Hawkeye's, he knew the second lieutenant was just as capable to shoot an enemy right between the eyes. His aura didn't comfort Roy the way Hawkeye's did, but he allowed himself to relax, knowing that he wasn't in danger with him guarding his back.

Soon they reached a tree with leaves spilling down like a waterfall, and Roy allowed himself a moment of awe. He had never seen a tree like that in his life. It was big, majestic somehow. He stared at how the leaves bowed down to the forest floor in curiosity, wondering just how old the tree really was.

"It wants us to go in there, Sir," Hawkeye announced, pointing at the tree. She took out her gun. "I will see if it's safe."

"Be careful, Lieutenant," Roy told Hawkeye. Since they couldn't see anything behind the leaves, if there was an open space beyond it, it would be a very good place for an ambush. Behind him, he heard Havoc shifting, positioning himself so he could cover as large an area as possible if anything were to happen. There was a shifting sound and he knew instantly that Havoc, too, had taken out his gun from its holster. He flexed his own hand, feeling the fabric of his transmutation gloves.

The first lieutenant nodded and pushed through the leaves, blonde hair still down with a strand hovering midair. Her form was soon obscured by the leaves as it swung back in place. After a moment, her voice rang out, "Clear!"

Roy immediately walked after her, Havoc right behind him. When they both were under the tree, Havoc gasped quietly. "Whoa."

Roy echoed the sentiment even though he didn't say anything. He looked up at the light seeping through the leaves overhead, awed by the way it seemingly flit through the gaps as the leaves swayed in the wind. He then mentally slapped himself, trying to focus on finding both the Elrics.

"Sir," Hawkeye called, staring at him, "there's an open trapdoor in here." Her hair was no longer hovering midair, and Roy heaved a silent sigh of relief. It was disturbing to see her hair being tugged by an invisible being.

"Let's see what's in there then," Roy announced as he pulled on the gloves.

"I'll go down first," Havoc offered.

Behind him, Hawkeye clipped back her hair and followed as Roy descended the stairs below the trapdoor after Havoc.

He came to the sight of a familiar set of armor, headless, bound to the floor with rock moulds. "Alphonse?"

The armor shifted a little, as much as his bounds let him. "Colonel?"

"Hold on, Alphonse," Roy quickly strode to Alphonse, hands searching his pockets for a spare chalk he knew he had put in there. Soon he was drawing a simple transmutation circle to get the boy out of the binding rocks while Hawkeye and Havoc searched the place. It didn't take long before Alphonse was sitting, rubbing his wrists as if trying to get some feeling back. Roy felt a pang of sympathy to the boy, wondering just how it felt like to live a life void of senses.

"The place is clear," Havoc announced as he walked near, bringing Alphonse's loose head and giving it to the boy. Alphonse muttered a thank you and put his head back on.

"Sir," Hawkeye's voice rang through the cave-like place, and Roy turned to her. In her hands was a pair of chains, dangling in the air almost hypnotically.

Alphonse, too, was looking at the chains. "Colonel," he called, "I'm sorry for going on my own. It seemed like a good idea before I was bound."

"What happened in here?" Roy demanded immediately.

Alphonse was quiet for a moment before he began recounting his story. It was surprising for the three military men to hear that the first victim and the latest one were both behind the disappearances, and that it was likely that the latest victim's brother was also one of the people who was pulling the strings. It was a problem, though, that Edward had been moved to a separate location. They had to find him, and soon.

"We should head back to the town, then," Roy decided. "If they left using some kind of a vehicle they must have left a trail. We can find it later and follow it."

"No," Alphonse spoke up. Roy turned to him, staring, wondering what the boy had in mind. "I don't feel fatigue, so I think I should be able to scout ahead. I'll leave you a more obvious trail. I still have the yellow string I took from Mr. Lotus, I can use it to leave a sign behind."

Roy thought about it and nodded. "Alright. You can go ahead. We'll head back to town to find a vehicle we can borrow, and once we do we'll catch up to you."

Alphonse nodded in agreement and walked quickly, eager to track and find his brother as soon as possible.

"Be safe, Al," Havoc called at his back.

Alphonse turned. "I will," he promised, a gentle and reassuring smile heard in his words. And then he walked up the stairs like a marching soldier eager for his first battle and was gone.

"Let's go," Roy called to Havoc and Hawkeye. "We need to find a car, and maybe put this Ives character to an arrest."

* * *

A/N: yep, done. Finally.

I'm so sorry that this update was really late. That writer's block is just so stubborn. It wants to hang around for a long time. Apparently it doesn't realize that its kind is unwelcome in my head. Usually I'd run away to other stories in work, but then I realize that apparently this time the writer's block is really stubborn. Urk.

On the other hand, I'm just really glad that this chapter is done. I think there will only be one to three chapters left, though I'm not exactly sure of that. The estimation probably isn't too far off, though. Keyword being probably.

Anyway, for now this is it. I hope that the chapter's good enough. Please leave a review on your way out! Hope you have a good day!


	8. Iris

Chapter Eight: Iris

* * *

 _Iris flowers represent faith, hope, and wisdom. Depending on the color and region, it may also mean courage, admiration, eloquence, purity, and many more._

* * *

Fletcher was worried.

When the three military personnel came back from the woods, they came empty handed but with a firm expression in their faces. The air around them reeked of determination and he wasn't exactly sure if it was the kind that he would appreciate.

He kept his distance from them, making sure that he remained out of their sight. They hadn't been paying attention to him before. He didn't want them to start doing so anytime soon. There was something he had to do and catching the attention of the people who supposedly were law enforcer wouldn't help him at all, nor the people he wished to help.

The three went to see Mr. Lotus immediately. Fletcher carefully tailed them, making sure not to be seen. His heart thumped loudly against his chest. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen here. Should he go and see Ives? He had a feeling that he should.

Where he stood was too far to listen to the four's conversation, but he felt his stomach clench when Mr. Lotus began pointing to the direction of Ives' house. Soon they were marching there and Fletcher followed, almost dutifully, while at the same time trying hard to keep himself calm. This whole thing spelled trouble, and it was something they couldn't afford right now. Not at these times.

He watched as they knocked at the door. Watched still as they began asking questions to him, and watched as he shook his head somewhat frantically, eyes darting around in panic. He simply stared as their voices rose – very clearly indicating an argument, though he couldn't catch any word being spoken – but was that Cadie's name Mr. Lotus shouted? – and it put him in a disadvantage, not knowing what exactly was going on. Then the blond man from the trio stepped forward and brandished a pair of cuffs from his pocket and attempted to cuff Ives. Struggle as he did, Ives was no match against the man's physical prowess and was soon dragged along to the city hall.

And all the while, Fletcher was staring with an open mouth and trembling fingers. Ives was taken. What should he do? Going to the three military personally would end up disaster, considering that they were most likely trained in combat, but he needed to help Ives somehow.

Ives' eyes strayed and met his gaze. His mouth moved, and Fletcher caught his message,

 _Warn Moss and Agnes._

Giving a quick nod, he turned and walked as fast as he could, trying hard not to arouse suspicion. It didn't take long for him to reach his house, and he sneaked inside his garage. Under the piles of junks was a short motorbike. Normally Ives would be the one to use it, but he had no problem driving it, himself.

It didn't take long for him to start the engine, and soon he was driving through the forest, eyes darting from the path in from of him to the compass he sloppily slapped to the bike's head, and back to the path again. He knew where Mimosa and Agnes would be at. He'd been there, too, a few times.

After all, he had been helping them all this time.

* * *

If he were to be completely honest with himself, Edward felt pretty helpless right now.

How could he not? He was bound, he couldn't use alchemy, and on top of that his automail leg was totally busted. In the dim light of the prison he once occupied he couldn't see just how bad the damage was, but now that he was blessed with light he could see that it was battered pitifully, chords jutting out of place every here and there and steel groaning whenever he tried to move it. Agnes had tried to forcefully move it, and the action made the metal prosthetic let out a suspicious sound as pain spiked up to Edward's thigh – clearly the nervous connection was busted, too.

Both Agnes and Mimosa agreed not to touch the automail.

Edward heaved a silent sigh of relief. Death by wrench was already guaranteed without the need of someone messing more with his metal limbs.

And besides the obvious mobility problem, his whole body felt like it wasn't listening to his orders. There was a familiar disconnected feeling that came after drugged sleep creeping in every inch of his skin, and Edward knew that even if he had no problem moving he would have a difficult time trying to flee.

Yep, Edward felt like crap alright.

He glanced to the still sleeping Kelly by his side. The jeep they were using to go wherever Mimosa and Agnes were planning to go jerked violently, and the girl hit her head on the seat. Edward winced. He wanted to try to get the girl more comfortable, somehow, but being bound really wasn't going to help his noble mission. If anything it would only hold him back.

He shifted his gaze away, out of the window. Trees whizzed past, and he wondered where he was taken, exactly.

Time ticked by, and the journey was spent in silence. It had to be hours, at least… or was it only minutes? His sense of time was off.

Edward knew how futile it was trying to pry Agnes or Mimosa of why they were doing this. They were absolutely tight-lipped, and no matter what he said they refused to give him any clue. Of course, there was no clue on where exactly the missing people were, and where he would end up in the end.

He had almost dozed off when the jeep came into a jerking halt. The sudden stop made Edward hit his head to the window, and he let out a soft curse of pain. Agnes and Mimosa soon dragged him out of the jeep, and he saw that the two ladies had brought him and Kelly to an abandoned warehouse, built in the middle of the forest.

Agnes hoisted him up on her back and grunted with exertion. "Why are you so heavy?" she grumbled to Edward.

Ed didn't bother hiding the amusement in his voice. "Automail. You can always let me go if you feel that I'm being too much of a trouble, you know."

"Not a chance. Your price will be worth it."

Edward frowned at Agnes' words, but said nothing in return.

They entered the abandoned warehouse, and Edward finally saw that it wasn't as abandoned as the look would say. Inside, the place was clearly well kept, with clean floor and working lamp. A few tables and chairs sat in the room, waiting for people to come and use them. Agnes dumped Edward on one of the chairs, groaning all the while. She then took a key from her pocket and opened his cuffs, pulling his hands behind the chair and bound him with the cuffs again. He would have fought, but the disconnected feeling in his limbs prevented him to actively fight the bounds. By his side, Mimosa put Kelly's prone body down gently. Edward found that he felt jealous, somehow.

"Why are you taking us here?" Edward asked cautiously.

"Someone wants to meet you," Mimosa answered with a small smile, looking apologetic and hopeful at the same time. "But there is still time before he gets here. You can just sleep and rest if you want."

Edward was determined to do the opposite of that. He forced himself awake, alert eyes darting everywhere. His automail leg gives sudden spikes of pain every now and then, and even though he would normally find it troublesome, he welcomed the additional help to keep himself awake.

Kelly stirred beside him, and he immediately looked over. "Kelly?" he called softly.

Kelly groaned and blinked owlishly. Her eyes found his immediately, and she called back, "Big Brother…?"

"How do you feel?" Edward asked gently, immediately putting Kelly's condition as the priority over his own, ignoring his own busted limb and pounding head.

"Sleepy." Kelly's eyes shut close again. "Head hurts."

"Maybe you should rest again," Edward told her, eyes darting around once more.

Kelly, however, stubbornly opened her eyes and pulled herself upright, pushing herself to Edward's side and leaned to him. He stared at her in confusion. "Kelly?"

"If you want to stay awake, I'll stay awake too," she slurred a bit, but the stubbornness was clear in her eyes. Edward couldn't help but chuckle and nod, letting her do just that. He was fairly certain that she'd fall asleep again soon, though.

Time passed without much incident. At some point, Kelly did fall asleep again, snoring softly against his side. Edward glanced at her and marveled about how innocent she looked. For a brief moment, she was a young Alphonse, and a pang of guilt gnawed at his gut. Even in a situation where he was clearly threatened, his guilt refused to leave him be. He bit his lower lip and looked around again, almost wishing that something happened just so he could get his mind off of the guilt.

A knock on the door echoed through the place. Edward looked up immediately, staring intently at the leaf of wood, senses on high alert and mind whirling and wondering how to get out of his restraints somehow, despite the fact that he already knew it was impossible. Agnes stood up and walked to the door, opening it, but the light spilling in from the gap made it impossible for Edward to see who was the guest. He couldn't hear what they were talking about since their voices were muffled by the leaves of the door, but their tone held a note of urgency, perhaps even panic. No matter how hard Edward strained his ears he couldn't hear what they were talking about.

The sound of people coming stopped the conversation, and a new voice – heavier, deeper, holding far more authority than the other two voices, although Edward couldn't help but notice that it didn't sound nearly as commanding or as reassuring as Colonel Mustang's – cut through the air. Soon the door was thrown open, and light spilled into the room with the generosity of a raging ocean. Edward let out a small grunt as he shut his eyes tight and moved his head away from the source of light. It didn't take long before the door was shut again and the room was dark once more. Edward opened his eyes and blinked a few times, cursing the temporary blindness as he saw spots dancing beneath a layer of blackness. Gradually, he adjusted into the darkness, and he turned back.

He automatically threw himself as far back as the measly seat allowed him. He couldn't help the instinctive drive to get away when he saw that a face had zoomed so close to his as if trying to get as much detail in as little time. He stared back at the cold black eyes that studied him with cold detachment and excitement at the same time, wondering what exactly this person was trying to do with him.

"A fine one you've got here," he spoke, the same deep voice that Edward had heard beyond the door earlier, tone laced with anticipation and accent heavy and familiar. "But highly unusual. Why the sudden change in the stock?"

"That one isn't for some thirsty aristocrat, Borya," Mimosa's voice was tight. "I was hoping you can help me get in touch with the higher-up in the government."

The man, Borya, straightened up and turned to Mimosa, and Edward was grateful for the distance. "You know as well as I do that I cannot do that. As much immunity I have for my services, I am still an outlaw."

"Well, that's the thing," Mimosa's tone changed, more desperately hopeful this time. "You see, this boy is Edward Elric. Surely you've heard of him. Maybe if you bring him to the higher-ups, you can appease them enough to let you go free, and also help bring my parents back."

"Edward Elric?" Borya turned back to Edward, but this time he kept from invading Edward's personal space. "The Fullmetal Alchemist, this boy?"

"You got a problem with that?" Edward snapped irritably.

The cold black eyes regarded him with an unreadable look before Borya gave a bellowing laugh. "He's got spunk," he commented. "It will be a pleasure to make him docile before presenting him to those people in Drachma."

A flurry of emotion washed over Edward at once. _Drachma_. So that was where Borya was from. The realization was laced with anger that he was obviously undermined (not that he could help it; the broken automail and the fact that he was tied up was out of his control), but there was a feeling of dread slipping into his mind when he heard Borya's plan to present him to Drachmans. What exactly was he planning to do with him? Was he going to be whisked away to an unfamiliar country all of a sudden?

He suppressed a groan when it all came together. The location, the track marks leading north. "Let me guess," he mumbled. "Those missing people and everything… you took them. This is all a human trafficking shit, and you're running the show."

Borya gave him a predatory grin. "Sharp one, aren't you?" he patted Edward's head as if he was complimenting a dog, making Edward snarl at him, which he laughed at. "Human trafficking is complicated business, but the money is worth it. After all, nearly all aristocrats in Drachma will happily have a taste of virgin maidens and little kids. They will be happy to have Amestrians kneeling before them like docile little pets, because it makes them feel powerful."

Edward's alarm went off immediately. Before he could help himself his eyes darted to the sleeping Kelly still leaning to him, and Borya followed his gaze.

"I understand your concern," he told the alchemist calmly. "Yes, the girl will share the same fate. Sold to the highest bidder who will happily use her as they see fit."

Edward whipped his head back at him, gritting his teeth as he seethed. He tugged on his restraints, not for the first time cursing his inability to get out of his situation.

Borya smiled. "Don't you worry too much. You, yourself, will have a different path. I will sell you to the government. I'm sure they'll be happy to have an advantage against Amestris, somehow."

"Do you really think Amestrian government will go to save me and risk war in the process?" Edward growled. "You said it yourself. I'm just a kid. There's no way such effort will be made just to retrieve one kid."

"But you aren't just a kid, are you?" once more Borya gave him a predatory grin. "You're the Fullmetal Alchemist. The Hero of the People. The alchemist prodigy, youngest one to ever pass the test to become a State Alchemist." He nodded. "Yes, I do think your government will go to such lengths to retrieve a child." With a satisfied smile, he turned and walked away.

Edward glowered, and he looked around for any other potential threat. A familiar figure caught his eyes, and the golden orbs widened as Fletcher Nash awkwardly shuffled his feet from his spot close to the wall. Their gazes interlocked, and for a moment hope swelled in his chest. He was acting sheriff for the town, wasn't he? Perhaps he can help him escape. Get back to town and get Alphonse.

Then Borya came to him and began giving him orders to stay put and help with the preparation to move Kelly and Edward to a new location. How Fletcher nodded to Borya was what truly crushed Edward. He was alone in this. He had no way out.

He bit his lip and wished that he had a way to escape this fate, somehow.

* * *

Alphonse crouched low in the thick bushes, hoping that it would provide enough cover from the keen eyes of the guards outside the abandoned warehouse he was spying on. A jeep was parked in front of it, and by the vehicle, a motorcycle. A bit far away from the warehouse was another jeep, bigger and dirtier.

Alphonse counted inwardly. Four guards. Once the reinforcement arrived they could take them down without much problem, and hopefully without much noise, too. It was unnecessary to draw the people in the warehouse's attention to them.

Soft rustles of the bushes behind him and the crunch of dead leaves made him turn with a creak, and immediately he felt relief rushing him when he saw Roy Mustang walking to him, followed by Hawkeye and Havoc. He let go of his fighting stance, which he had taken almost subconsciously when he felt threat coming. "Colonel, Lieutenants," he regarded politely.

Mustang nodded an acknowledgement. "Tell me what you've seen."

And so Alphonse did. He described how he had arrived moments before and spied on the building for a while. Moments after he had settled comfortably in the bushes staring at the building, he saw someone riding a motorbike coming, parking next to the already parked jeep, and revealed the identity of the rider as Fletcher Nash the acting-sheriff of Faeburn. Soon Agnes came out and both spoke in hushed tones to each other, before a newcomer came to the place, sauntering inside while the two goons he came with stayed out to stand guard.

Mustang grunted. "He must be pretty good if he can go inside so confidently without guards." He glanced around. "We need to infiltrate the warehouse and get Fullmetal back as soon as possible. Capture the mystery man. Also arrest whoever's involved. But first we need to incapacitate those two guards."

Hawkeye touched the guns she had in her holder lightly before she shook her head. "I can't do it without alerting anyone inside. The gunshot will be too loud. Someone need to go up there and render the guards unconscious."

"Sounds like a job for me," Havoc stretched his arms and moved to an alert crouch, eyeing the two guards, sizing them up.

"No, that won't be necessary," Mustang stopped him with a casual wave. At the questioning look he got, he held up his hands and showed them the gloves he was wearing. "Long distance alchemy works just as well. I should've done this from the start, sorry."

"Ah," Havoc blinked in understanding, and the crouch became more casual. "The usual ' _Oxygen de Gentleman Strategy_ ', Sir?"

Mustang smirked as Hawkeye's face became still and cold as a stone. "A modified one, though perhaps minus the ' _gentleman_ ' part."

Alphonse stared in curiosity as Mustang extended his hands slightly to the guards, looking like a hesitant magician wanting to show off his tricks but was reluctant to. Only, Alphonse knew this wasn't magic, and there was nothing hesitant or reluctant in Mustang's demeanor. His eyes glinted slightly, like a little child enjoying a game. The transmutation circles stitched to the gloves gave some jumping blue sparks. Immediately a slight breeze blew, and Mustang smirked to himself.

Alphonse turned his gaze to the two guards. He blinked a pair of imaginary eyelids when he saw the two guards frowning, and soon they were wheezing. It didn't take long before they dropped to their feet, struggling to breathe, and before long they were sprawled on the ground, unconscious, looking blue in the face.

"Um, Colonel?" Alphonse turned. "What did you do?"

To his surprise, Mustang cackled. "I cut off their oxygen supply using alchemy. They won't die, but they won't pose a threat to us at all, at least for now."

"You cut off their oxygen supply?" Havoc repeated with surprise in his tone. "Geez, Boss, you weren't kidding when you said it wasn't gentlemanly."

"W-why does it have to be gentlemanly…?"

Mustang grinned. "You see, Alphonse, alchemy can be used in a lot of ways, and for a lot of reason. Why, if you elevate the oxygen density around a specific person, they can get dizzy easily, and they might lose their balance. When the target is a woman, it's easy to simply rescue her pretty little head from hitting the pavement and care for her well-being, and an invitation for a drink won't be bad, either. That's a nice way to score a date."

"I would say this is hardly the time to teach someone as young as Alphonse to get a date, Sir," Hawkeye interjected, somehow sounding colder than usual. "The guards will not be down forever. Should we go inside now?"

Mustang coughed into his palm. "Um, yes. Everyone ready?" He was responded with nods from three directions. "Okay. Hawkeye, Havoc. You two will stick to me and make sure to have everyone detained. Hawkeye, I leave my back to you as usual."

"Sir," Hawkeye acknowledged with a sharp nod.

"Alphonse, I need you to go to Fullmetal's side and make sure he is well." Alphonse nodded at the order. "Protect the missing girl as well, if she is there. Since both she and Fullmetal were taken should be kept near one another. Ensure the safety of _all three of you_ , not just Fullmetal and the girl."

"Got it," Alphonse nodded again.

"Havoc, when we go in later, I want you to be at front, looking for potential threat," Mustang ordered again. "You have keen eyes and I want to make use of that."

"Geez, just say it if you want to use me as a human shield," Havoc smiled wryly, but he nodded anyway.

"Alright, now. I say this is about time we go inside. Let's – "

Whatever Mustang wanted to say, he couldn't finish it. At that time, the door of the warehouse swung open. Their attention was drawn to the group of people coming out.

At the front was the last person Alphonse saw coming, the one bringing the two guards. His hair, grown long past his shoulders and tied nicely at the base of his neck, moved briskly along the wind. Behind him a man trailed with a bound short alchemist wriggling and shouting and practically trying to throw himself off the man's shoulder, and Alphonse recognized said man as Fletcher Nash. He balled his fist in anger. He had thought he could trust the man, but clearly he had been wrong.

Then came Mimosa. She was holding a sleeping girl in her arms, gently, as if she was afraid of getting the little girl hurt. Agnes trailed behind her, closing the door with a loud _BAM_ , and turned back to walk alongside Mimosa.

"People," Mustang's hiss held a tone of urgency. "Change of plans. We need to charge ahead before they get away."

"I'll get Brother and Kelly," Alphonse quipped immediately.

"Then we will incapacitate the others," Hawkeye took her gun from the holster and removed the safety, sharp eyes darting to choose a target. Havoc followed her example.

They waited for the group reached a state of confusion upon finding the guards sprawled on the ground, and before the confusion changed into realization Mustang snapped his finger and had an explosion going off above their heads. The distraction proved to be effective, as the people scattered at once, panic seizing their figures.

Taking advantage of it, the three military personnel and the suit of armor sprang out, ready to take back what was theirs. Unfortunately for them, the man with long hair quickly regained his composure and started barking off orders to the three behind him, all while Kelly stirred from her sleep and Edward screamed to Fletcher to _let go of me this instance goddammit_ and _oh gosh you guys came quick untie me so I can beat up these people_.

Alphonse didn't pay attention to whatever the long haired man said, but all of a sudden Fletcher dropped Edward to the ground like a sack of potatoes and turned, taking Agnes' hand in his and getting up on his motorbike, Agnes securely behind him, and started the engine. Hawkeye saw this and let loose a single gunshot.

And just like that, all hell broke loose.

* * *

A/N: _this is so late im so sorry_

Once again, sorry that this is so late. My own tardiness disgust me. Ew. I would've posted this sooner if not for a writer's block that haunted me for so long... but then I overcame it and wrote, like, four pages worth of story. Score one for me, haha. And I also blame school for giving me lots of howework and tests. Yes. Blaming school sounds great.

By the way, does anyone know that Roy's so called _Oxygen de Gentleman Strategy_ is a thing that actually exists? I found it in FMA's wiki page. I just can't not put it in here.

Also, I think there will be maybe two more chapters left. This is just a loose estimation, though, but we _are_ nearing the end of the story.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate it if you can share your thoughts. Leave me a review, maybe? Hope you have a great day!


	9. Bird's Foot Trefoil-Lotus

Chapter Nine: Bird's Foot Trefoil/Lotus

* * *

 _Bird's foot trefoil means revenge. Its scientific name is_ Lotus corniculatus _._

* * *

 _In Hinduism, lotus flower represents divine beauty and purity. In Buddhism, it represents purity of mind, body, and spirit. In Japanese culture, it is revered to for its ability to rise from the dirty, murky waters to bloom into a beautiful pure flower. This process symbolizes attaining enlightenment._

* * *

Once upon a time, there lived a girl who loved fairies, and sought all knowledge of it. She went through a lot of pains to be able to see them, and once she could she befriended the fairies around Faeburn. She was sweet, and nice, and Fletcher had no doubt that she was the only thing in the world he needed, if all came down to it.

That girl was dead.

It was a figurative death rather than a literal one. She was still around, but the sweetness, the caring nature, the lovable smile that Fletcher had fallen in love with could no longer be found. Instead, there was a hardness that came after one was forged with pain, cold exterior that hid bitterness and resentment to the world, and a cold, somewhat angry smile hanging almost permanently in her face.

He knew she had her reasons. After she found out that fairies use trees as their houses, she had begged the people of Faeburn to stop, or at least minimize, the amount of wood they use as firewood. But once they heard her plight not to rob the fairies of their homes, they thought of her as a lunatic and paid her no heed. In her fear that the fairies might get angry, she planted a rowan tree to ward them off from the town.

But then a girl lit the tree on fire, thinking that the so-called lunatic needed something to help her snap out of it and get back to the real world. This single action was the thing that finally drove her over the edge.

Agnes Caster, bitter and angry, forged her own disappearance with the help of the two newcomers of the town, Mimosa and Ives Fennel, who had connections to the outside world, and Fletcher Nash, who was also the only person to ever believe her.

He stared at the girl. She had changed so much in the span of weeks, and it frightened him. She was no longer the person he knew, but there was no way he could leave her. Not now. Not ever.

And so there he was, driving through the woods beyond Faeburn, going to the warehouse where he knew she and Mimosa were keeping Edward and little Kelly captive, desperately trying to warn them of the upcoming danger of being captured. It seemed like forever before he finally saw the rundown building come into view, and he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. He quickly parked the bike next to the car that had been parked in front of the building and rushed to the door before knocking quickly. It didn't take long for Agnes to open the door, and her blue eyes widened, color growing intense to the point that he felt as though he could drown in them.

"Fletch," Agnes acknowledged, tone hushed, "what are you doing here? I thought we agreed the town will be your permanent territory."

"The military's here," Fletcher dropped the news without wasting any time. "Ives is captured. He told me to warn you and Moss."

"The what?" Agnes hissed. "Are you fuc – this isn't good."

"I know. Is it possible to move locations?"

"No. Borya's been informed to come here. We can't move until he comes." Agnes hissed, a hint of panic seeping into her voice.

The sound of an upcoming vehicle made them both freeze in panic for a bit before they realized it was Borya's. A rush of relief momentarily flooded Fletcher's veins before he realized they weren't out of the problem yet.

"Do we tell him that the military's here?" he asked nervously to Agnes.

"Are you kidding me? Borya's scary enough as is!" Agnes whispered forcefully.

"What do we do then? It's not like withholding information will get us somewhere!"

"Just make sure we move as soon as possible, that should be enough of a plan – "

"Is something wrong?"

The conversation was stopped immediately. Both Fletcher and Agnes turned to face Borya's dark eyes, and both spoke at the same time, "No."

Borya's brow lifted, clearly skeptical, but he made no move to prod the two further. "Alright," he said instead. "I was told that today's goods would be more interesting than usual." His eyes glinted. "Show me."

"Right this way," Agnes smiled and threw the door open. Light spilled into the building, and Fletcher heard Mimosa giving a few curses.

"Ah, Borya," Mimosa gasped when she realized that the man was there. "I didn't think you'd come this early."

"I'm curious about your goods," the man answered almost casually. There was an unspoken command in his voice, one that Mimosa obeyed almost instantly.

"Right, you can see them there," Mimosa pointed to the center of the room, where Edward and Kelly was kept. Borya strode forward to them and bent over Edward, examining him closely.

Fletcher watched with slight amusement when Edward jumped back when he realized Borya was staring at him intently, but then he averted his gaze to Agnes.

She was staring forward with cold detachment, and Fletcher felt another pang. Was the cheerful girl who simply loved fairies really was gone? He turned away and closed his eyes.

All his friends had their reasons of doing what they were doing. Both Ives and Mimosa's parents were in the hands of Drachman authorities for reasons they were unwilling to share, and they found the job to be the easiest way to please the Drachman aristocrats, and thus the easiest way to bribe them into releasing their parents. Having a personal vendetta against the people in Faeburn, Agnes was more than willing to provide them with the information about the girls and children in the town, enabling them to spirit their victims away.

Fletcher's only reason was to make sure Agnes would stay safe, and his designated job to lead the townsfolk attention away from the actual smuggling by spreading the rumor that fairies were taking them away was beginning to wear him down. He wanted out… but he didn't want to leave Agnes.

He opened his eyes and stared at Edward. Their eyes met, and he shuffled awkwardly, not sure how to react. He saw hope filling the golden irises, and seeds of guilt began to grow in his heart. He turned his attention to Borya, who came to him with sure steps.

"I need you to stay here and help while we prepare to go away," he ordered calmly, though his eyes glinted greedily, no doubt calculating how much he could sell Edward for. "There aren't as many personnel as I'd like, and any helping hand is welcome."

Fletcher simply nodded. He glanced at Edward, who had placed a crushed look in his face. Guilt made itself prominent in his head, and he could feel his heart clench as a voice in his head whispered, _Look at that. Your fault. Your fault. All your fault._

"Borya, can I ask you something?"

The question drew Fletcher's attention to Agnes, who was staring at Borya intently.

"Of course, dear," Borya smiled at her. He always seemed to have a soft spot for her.

"How's Cadie Lotus?"

Borya's smile widened. "I can tell you that she has been sold with a great price. One Drachman noble seemed to be extremely happy to get her. He's probably already trained her to please all his whims no matter the circumstances."

A satisfied smile stretched itself across Agnes' face. "That's all I need to know."

The preparations to go, as Borya put it, didn't take long to do. It didn't take long until they finally began to move outside. Fletcher hoisted Edward up his shoulder, mumbling in annoyance to when he found the young alchemist heavier than he expected.

"I can walk on my own," Edward hissed.

"With that leg? I don't think so," Fletcher replied easily. He calmly walked out of the door, following Borya who already stepped outside.

"Why are you doing this?" Edward asked, sounding desperate. When Fletcher didn't answer, he began cursing angrily and wriggling like a worm under intense exposure of sunlight. It took Fletcher so much energy just to keep the boy from falling. Behind him, he heard the door slamming close loudly.

He followed Borya almost thoughtlessly and nearly rammed his face into his back when he stopped suddenly. "What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"My guards," Borya mumbled, almost to himself. "I don't understand…"

It was only then did Fletcher realize that Borya's two guards were sprawled on the ground pitifully. They were extremely pale, and Fletcher couldn't help but wonder what happened to them. Even Edward stopped struggling and was instead staring curiously, and without even seeing his face Fletcher could tell that he was thinking hard about what had happened to the guards.

Then, all of a sudden, an explosion boomed up above their heads, and Fletcher shouted a curse as he ducked away, amazingly still managing to keep Edward on his shoulder. Around him, Mimosa, Agnes, and Borya scattered away like blown dust, instincts taking place as logic was forgotten. From behind a thick bush, Alphonse and the three military personnel emerged.

Seeing them, Borya snapped out of his stupor and began barking orders. "If any of you know how to fight, get ready right now!" he shouted. "Get the girl and the alchemist in the car. Prepare to fight and flee as soon as possible!"

 _As soon as possible?_ Fletcher's mind questioned as rage suddenly boiled in his veins, out of all times it could overtake him. _Why not now?_

Against his better judgment, Fletcher dropped Edward to the ground with the loud thump, resulting in a cry of pain from the boy, followed with a string of curses and even a few suggestions where Fletcher could stick his genital into. Ignoring the boy, Fletcher dashed and took Agnes' hand and got on the bike. In her own surprise, Agnes almost automatically followed his example, and he let the engine roar.

A loud bang that cut through the air prompted him to drive away as soon as possible. He quickly drove into the woods, away from the battlefield.

"Wait, Fletch, stop!" Agnes screamed into his ear. "Mimosa's still out there!"

"I'll get her back soon!" Fletcher shouted back.

"No! we can't leave her! You have to turn back!"

"We'll get caught. I'll get her back on my own in just a bit!"

"Fletcher – "

"No!" Fletcher snapped, and he abruptly stopped the bike. For a moment, they stayed there in the middle of the woods, accompanied only by the sound of the engine, Fletcher's pants, and the faint gunshots in the distance. Fletcher took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"Fletch…?" Agnes called tentatively.

"I won't let you get back there," Fletcher whispered. He nearly couldn't hear himself in the sound of his own rushing blood. "I can't. I need to keep you safe. I can't lose you. Not now, and not ever."

"W-why…?"

Fletcher unmounted the bike, and Agnes followed his example. They stood facing each other, and Fletcher finally looked into her deep blue eyes. "You're important for me," he finally settled. "I can't let you get hurt. Your safety is my top priority, alright?"

"I – but."

"Agnes, please," Fletcher begged. "I'll go back right now to make sure Mimosa will be fine. Can you drive the bike?"

"Yes… Ives taught me before."

"Great," Fletcher gently shoved her onto the bike, and she obediently followed. "Go to the borders. I'll meet you there with Mimosa. If we didn't get there in… I don't know, an hour at most, go by yourself."

Agnes opened her mouth to protest, but thought otherwise and nodded grimly instead. "Promise me you'll be there."

"I promise," Fletcher answered levelly. Satisfied by the answer, Agnes nodded and drove away.

When the last echoes of the roaring engine were gone, Fletcher took a deep breath and turned back, and began running back to the warehouse. He had to make sure Mimosa would be fine, too.

* * *

When the bullet she fired missed its intended target – the tire of the bike – Riza cursed inwardly and prepared to fire another bullet to stop the bike, but it had already driven away, too far for her to get a clean shot. Riza had no choice but to choose another target.

But instead she had to duck away. The dark haired man had pointed a gun at her face and fired, and she was lucky to dodge it. She could feel the bullet whizzing above her head. Beside her, Havoc sent a bullet to the man, who threw his body to the ground to avoid being hit.

She quickly straightened up to aim at the man again, but he had sprang up and turned to Edward, who was still bound, and yelled, "Come closer and I will shoot him!"

But before he even finished the sentence, Alphonse had come close to him and punched as hard as he could. The man was sprawled on the ground, and Alphonse took a stance in front of Edward. "Touch him and I swear I will hurt you," he threatened.

"Al!" Edward yelled. "Unbound me, quick!"

"Brother, this isn't the time! Your leg's wrecked, it's not like you can fight in that state!"

"I know, but I can't do anything this way!"

For the first time, Riza realized why Edward hadn't been fighting effectively. His hands were bound with wooden cuffs, and it was impossible for him to clap or draw a transmutation circle that way. Alphonse seemed to realize this too, and quick as a lightning, he broke the cuffs open with his bare hands. Instead of clapping to help the fight like Riza had suspected he would, Edward pulled the dazed girl beside him – Kelly, she believed – and put his arms protectively around the girl's shoulder.

"Mimosa! Use your alchemy!" the black-haired man barked furiously.

The sudden order snapped the brunette out of her stupor, who had dropped Kelly when she heard Riza's first gunshot. Seemingly out of nowhere, she pulled out a pair of gloves and extended her hands. Blue sparks jumped out and the air rippled, and suddenly Riza saw fragmented images of herself, as if she was seeing into a broken mirror.

"I don't think so!" Edward's voice rang loudly through the broken image, and once more the air rippled. It didn't stop rippling, but at least Riza could see what was beyond. "I already figured out how you make those illusions. I may not be able to make them myself, but I can at least mess with your process enough to stop you from making them!"

The girl gritted her teeth and blue sparks jumped again. Pulsing lights and colors danced in front of Riza's eyes. From beyond the colors, Edward yelled, "Mustang, make explosions! Small ones! This alchemy requires the use of water molecules in the air – once they're rattled the illusion is sure to break!"

"On it!" Roy didn't bother question Edward's explanation. "Hawkeye, Havoc, that other guy is yours," he ordered, even as he began snapping his fingers to create seemingly random explosions in the air.

"Sir!" both Riza and Havoc responded. They turned back to the man. To their surprise, the sound of gunshot met their ears, and they both threw themselves to the ground almost on reflex. The sound was quickly followed by the roar of engine, and when they looked up they saw that the man had dragged the two fallen guards into the car and jumped into it during the distraction caused by the girl's alchemy. He drove in serpentine movement, making it hard for Riza to actually shoot.

"Wait – Borya!" the girl, who was still stubbornly trying to transmute in spite of Edward's attempt to block her and the mini explosions in the air Roy made, shrieked in surprise. "Borya, stop!"

The car didn't stop.

The girl was clearly distracted, and that was more than enough for Roy. The illusion melted away, and he sent a tiny explosion near the girl's right arm. The force knocked her off her feet, but Riza knew the damage wasn't heavy. The girl sat on the ground clutching her wound, gritting her teeth, tears glistening at the edge of her eyes.

"That's it?" Havoc spoke up, lowering his gun. "That's gotta be the shortest gunfight I've ever encountered in my military life."

A rustle from the trees drew their attention away, and Riza's sharp eyes quickly located a person in the shadows. "Not over yet," she said to Havoc as a response to his comment and lifted her gun to aim.

Havoc shot first, but his bullet didn't find its target. Riza pulled the trigger right after Havoc's gun went bang, and a cry of pain informed her that she got her target. Both she and Havoc rushed ahead to apprehend the man. They jumped over the bushes that separated them from their target and found him sprawled on the ground, clutching a bleeding calf in his hands. Riza recognized him immediately as the man who ran away on the bike. As she and Havoc secured the man, she couldn't help but wonder where the bike and the girl that escaped with him was.

"We found him in there," Havoc informed Roy as they dragged the man back to the clearing. They quickly sat him down near the girl, who was still clutching her wound without giving any response to them.

"I seem to remember that there are more of you," Roy told the man coldly. "Where is she?"

"You're not finding her," he answered simply.

Roy sighed. "Treat his wound," he said to Havoc. "We're heading back to the town. I'll ask for reinforcement and scour the woods once we're able. Hawkeye, stand guard. There's no telling if there is someone else here. Alphonse… can I ask you to guard the girl?"

"Of course," Alphonse immediately stood by the unresponsive girl, who still hadn't moved at all

"Yes, Sir," Havoc kneeled next to the man and started examining his wound as Alphonse answered Roy. Riza simply nodded and stood straighter, both hands holding her gun, ready to fire.

"Are you alright, Fullmetal?" Riza heard Roy ask Edward.

"I'm fine, just have some automail problem is all," he answered easily. "Kelly, you okay?"

The little girl, still in Edward's arms, answered softly, "I'm fine… I think." Her voice trembled pitifully.

"Kelly… wasn't it?" Roy asked the girl. She nodded slowly. Roy knelt in front of her, and while Riza couldn't see his face she could hear his tone getting softer. "Don't be scared. I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help you."

"Will you take me back to my mom?" Kelly asked.

"Of course I will," Roy replied. "In fact, we're getting back to your town. It won't take long, now."

"Sir," Havoc called, "the wound isn't deep. We can easily go back to the town."

"Good," Roy nodded. "Havoc, you take Fullmetal, Alphonse, and Kelly with you to our car. Hawkeye and I will take the other two by that car over there," he pointed at the car that most likely had been used to bring Edward and Kelly there.

"Yes, Sir," Havoc nodded. He turned to the children and his demeanor changed instantly. "So! Let's get back to the town, shall we? I'm sure you two are hungry. I wonder if there's a nice restaurant there."

* * *

When they finally returned to the town the sky had changed its color into a fiery hue. The people talked in hushed tones, staring at the two bound captives that two of the military personnel pushed. Their eyes also strayed over to the alchemist with broken automail, though they refused to meet his eyes, guilt slowly filling their gaze as they realize they had accused someone wrongly.

Riza exhaled as she saw one of them openly throwing an apologetic look to Edward, but refused to actually come forward. How come none of these people dared to apologize? What cowards.

They walked to the town square, where they had decided to detain Mimosa Fennel and Fletcher Nash together with Ives Fennel. The townsfolk followed them with their eyes. However, slowly but surely, a small crowd followed them, slowly growing in number as time went.

The walk was relatively quiet. None of them really felt the need to speak, and Kelly had been told beforehand that they needed to secure the criminals, and they'd walk her back home if her mother hadn't picked her up first.

The quiet was quickly disturbed when the crowd suddenly started yelling and shouting. Alerted, Riza turned, hand resting on her gun as she scanned the crowd for a possible threat.

It didn't take long for her to find it. There, in the middle of the parted crowd, was Kaiser Lotus himself. He almost seemed like a hungry tiger; eyes glaring, shoulders tight, standing as if he was ready to leap and pounce at any time. But what was most threatening about him wasn't the stance. It was the large hunting rifle he held in his hand.

"Mr. Lotus," Roy called, a slight wariness in his voice. "What's the matter?"

"Were you the ones who took the children?" Lotus paid him no heed and instead asked Mimosa and Fletcher. He got no response from Mimosa, who remained unresponsive even after so much time had passed. He directed his attention to Fletcher. "Answer me. Did you take them?"

Fletcher didn't answer, but he averted his gaze. It was answer enough for Lotus, who started to shake.

"Did you take my daughter?"

Still Fletcher refused to answer.

"Answer me!" Lotus roared. "Did you take Cadie?! Where is she?!"

"Mr. Lotus, I need you to calm down," Roy stepped forward. "There is no need to be hasty. We will interrogate them in due time."

"I want answers _now_ ," Lotus hissed. "Nash. Talk. Where is Cadie?"

"I don't know," Fletcher finally answered.

"Lies!"

"I don't know!" Fletcher suddenly snapped. "I have no idea, okay?! It doesn't matter where she is, you're not going to find her again! No one is going to see her again! She's been sold weeks ago. Hell, she's probably whoring herself to some horny Drachman man right now!"

Something within Lotus snapped. Riza could see how the logic, the common sense, was thrown out of the window as Fletcher spoke his last words. Riza saw, immediately, how the man's hand clutched the rifle tighter and swung it up, muzzle facing forward. As quick as she could, Riza took her gun into her hands and aimed, but she wasn't fast enough.

A loud bang resounded through the air, quickly followed by the townspeople's horrified screams. Too late, Riza's finger pulled the trigger, and her bullet dug into Lotus' shoulder, who lost his balance immediately and fell to the ground, the still smoking hunting rifle clattering next to him. Havoc tackled him to secure him immediately. Fletcher crashed into the ground like a rag doll, blood pooling immediately, and by her side Mimosa finally snapped out of her stupor and started screaming. Roy dashed to Fletcher immediately, desperately trying to save him, but quickly realized that it was impossible.

Riza didn't even bother. She had seen where the hunting rifle had been aimed. She knew that saving Fletcher would need human transmutation. Instead of going to see the fallen man, she turned to the children behind her.

All three were frozen in place, eyes staring in horror at Fletcher. Edward was holding Kelly protectively, his body positioned so that any projectile that was thrown to them wouldn't hit her. Kelly, herself, was staring with wide eyes, mouth open in frozen scream, tears glistening in her eyes but never actually fell. Alphonse, who had helped Edward walked all this time, could only stand a little behind his older brother, crouching a bit, looking so much like a young, shocked boy that he really was.

Riza felt a pang and walked to them, gently pushing so that they turned away from the scene. "Look away. You don't need to see this."

"Lieutenant," Alphonse croaked, "Fletcher's… Mr. Lotus is… he's…"

"I know," Riza pushed again, more urgent this time. "Please, turn. Turn away. Don't look. You don't need to see this…"

* * *

A/N: yayyy! Finally done! There's still an epilogue to wrap up some loose ends but yes, this is pretty much the story.

You know, it took me a real long time to decide on the chapter title. I gave Lotus his name with that last scene in mind. I love ironic names, if you will. But at the same time I also want to use the revenge bit, since it's also a large part of him. Imagine my happiness when I stumbled across bird's foot trefoil and found out its scientific name. And yeah... that's pretty much why this chapter has two flower names instead of just one.

I feel that the middle part of this chapter is a bit weird, dunno why. But I don't seem to be able to fix it? Sorry about that.

Anyway, I guess that's all I need to say. Please leave a review, share your thoughts. Hope you have a great day!


	10. Epilogue - Cyclamen

Epilogue: Cyclamen

* * *

 _The Cyclamen represents departure as well as sorrowful resignation._

* * *

When Roy saw Edward under a tree at the edge of the forest, he saw the boy was fingering a bunch of flowers in his hands. His hair was down, somewhat tussled because of the wind, and he stared in nothing in particular.

"Fullmetal?" Roy called him strangely. "What are you doing?"

Edward was silent for a moment before he blurted, "Did you know that mimosa flower indicates sensitivity? And that chaste tree flower – also known as agnus castus – stands for coldness and indifference?"

"Excuse me?" Roy's brow shot up.

"I guess you didn't know," Edward shrugged. "The meaning is fitting, don't you think? For them? Mimosa and Agnes."

"I suppose," Roy muttered. "Why do you leave your hair down?"

"It doesn't matter whether I braid it or not. It won't stay braided for long," Edward answered. He took a flower and studied it closely. "How… how's Kelly holding up?"

"She's still shocked," Roy replied, staring at the boy. "A kid her age shouldn't deal with something like that. Hawkeye and Havoc are with her, and she's been reunited with her family."

"Oh. That's good."

"How are _you_ holding up?"

Edward paused. "It's not important. How's Al doing?"

"He's still under the weather but is otherwise okay. I'm more worried about you."

"You, worried? About me?" Edward whirled around to stare at Roy, shock evident in his eyes. "What exactly are you trying to obtain, sweet-talking me like that?"

"You wound me, Fullmetal," Roy shook his head in annoyance. "I do care for my subordinates. Just answer me; are you alright?"

Edward looked away. "Better than being dead, I guess," he mumbled. He chucked the flower he was holding aside.

Roy stared at him for a while before holding his hand out. "Come on," he prodded. "Let's get back to town. It's almost nighttime."

Edward casted him a contemplating look before letting the flowers fall to the ground and taking the crutch he used to help him get around since his automail leg wasn't usable. He took Roy's hand and the colonel pulled him up, and both walked back to the town quietly.

Like before, the townspeople stared at them guiltily, but no one bothered to step forward. Roy glared at them. If they had no intention to apologize, they had better go away. Staring wouldn't help anyone, and it definitely wouldn't help Edward.

A boy walked closer to them timidly. He looked up at Edward, muttered an 'um', and looked down at his shuffling feet. Both Roy and Edward stared at him wordlessly, waiting.

A girl who looked uncannily like Kelly, yet had a completely different aura about her came to him and nudged him. "Noll, come on. You said you'd do it."

"But Tahlia – "

"Spit it out!"

The boy sighed and looked up at Edward, looking uncertain. "Um. I'm sorry I threw eggs at you at that time. And sorry I accused you of taking Kelly away. I hope you're not mad." He seemed to want to run away right then and there, but Tahlia gripped his arm and scowled at him. "And, uh," he muttered again, "thank you. For bringing her back."

"It's…" Edward stared, speechless. "It's no problem," he finally settled.

The boy looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah." He didn't sound all that sincere, but Roy suppose he didn't have the heart to actually snap at someone that young.

A relieved smile stretched at his face. "Thank you so much, Mister Alchemist!" he said happily. By his side, Tahlia grinned widely and nodded vigorously. The two children then ran away, laughing with one another.

Roy glanced at Edward. There was a small smile at his face. That seemed to be a good sign. He looked around again, but none of the other townspeople showed any sign of stepping up to apologize. With a huff, Roy steered Edward away to the city hall.

When they came into the room they used as their temporary office, Alphonse turned his head to them with a creak. "Brother, Colonel," he acknowledged.

"Hey, Al," Edward smiled at him. It was more of a tired smile than anything. "Didn't you say you wanted to go help the search form that guy named Borya and Agnes? How did it go?"

Alphonse sighed. He had gone with the reinforcement that Roy had requested to scour the woods for the remaining culprits of the disappearances. "Well… we found track marks of a car, so if we follow it we're sure we'll get to Borya eventually, but we're not sure we're going to catch Agnes. There was a track mark of the bike, but she then ditched the bike and continued on foot, it seems. She's good at making sure she doesn't leave anything we can track."

Edward nodded calmly. "At least you got one of them, right? Oh, and where's Kelly?"

"Her mother picked her up just before I went to get you," Roy told him. "But they've both told me that she might drop by sometime."

Edward nodded and turned back to Alphonse, telling him about his encounter with Nolan and Tahlia. While the brothers chatted, Roy turned away and walked out of the room. He had criminals to interrogate.

The city hall not only served as what the name intended, it also served as the town's police station and thus held two holding cells and an interrogation room. The Fennel siblings were held in the two cells while Mr. Lotus was locked in the interrogation room. Roy had talked with the mayor before and needed no more word with him.

It was scary, what anger and grudge could do to people. Apparently he had been so angry, he lost all control of himself and mindlessly shot Fletcher. He regretted it, but what good would regret do to a lost life? The dead wouldn't come back.

The Fennels, though… he was still curious of them.

When he came into the basement where the cells were held, the siblings were sitting back to back, separated only by the bars between the cells. The sound of his footsteps drew their attention to him.

"Sir," by the desk near the two cells, Havoc, who had been standing guard there, stood and saluted.

Roy briskly returned the salute. "Anything new?" he asked as he put down his hand and turned to Mimosa and Ives.

"None, as far as I can tell," Havoc shrugged. "They're not really willing to give away their secrets so easily. I did, however, find that they both have excellent tastes in card games."

Roy stared at him. "Don't tell me you've been playing poker with them, Lieutenant."

Havoc grinned. "I might have played a round or two. Don't worry, Boss. By playing with them I made sure there was no move they made to escape, and we all managed to spend some good time instead of dying from boredom! It's a win-win solution, I say."

Roy shook his head. "You're lucky you're working under me, Lieutenant." He turned to the two criminals. "As for the two of you…"

"How many years in jail?" Ives asked grimly.

"More like how many months left to live," Roy took out a sheet of paper from his breast pocket, ignoring the shocked looks he got from both Ives and Mimosa, and studied it. "Depending on the circumstances the act of harming a State Alchemist alone will warrant twenty years in jail, at least. Then there is also the fact that you kidnapped him. Also, Fullmetal is a minor, and of course there is a law that details what kind of punishment you will get. Not to mention conning the townspeople, kidnapping minors and young adults in town, and smuggling." He folded the paper and put it back into his breast pocket. "You will be tried, of course, but judging by the amount of crimes you have committed, it's not much of a stretch to say that you will get the worst sentence the judge can think of."

"But there's a possibility that we won't get that, right?" Mimosa asked desperately.

"If it existed, it's miniscule," Roy stated bluntly.

"Not to mention most people like the chief," Havoc added. "Hero of the People, they call him. Might push the civilians to ask to get you a heavier sentence."

Roy ignored how Mimosa and Ives' faces drained of all color and instead added, "And you two are the only two left from the original four! The people would want someone to blame, you know. You two make the perfect pair."

Roy watched as Mimosa's lips curled into a smile. A giggle bubbled from her mouth and quickly turned into a hysterical laughter, that turned into sobs as quickly as it came. "So there is no hope for us, is that what's you're saying?"

Roy smiled inwardly. "Did I ever say that there is no hope?"

Silence draped in the room. Roy felt Havoc's glance at him, and he instantly knew that he understood his plan. It was almost scary, how they could understand each other's plans in an instant like that, Roy thought wryly. But it sure came in handy.

"Are you saying that there is a way out?" Ives asked, voice desperate for any shroud of hope.

 _Hook, line, and sinker._

"There might be a way to redeem yourself, if you work for the country," Roy replied in faux nonchalance. "I won't guarantee that it's a sure path, but it's going to be better than rotting in jail or sent to the firing squad, I suppose."

"Work for the country?" Mimosa whispered in disbelief. "But… what could we possibly do?"

"Well I'm not certain about your brother, but your skill as an alchemist certainly bears value," Roy answered truthfully.

"What – " Mimosa bit her lip. "But I can't attack! My alchemy is useless in combat. How is it that anyone would want me in their military?"

"Your perception about State Alchemists is wrong," Havoc interjected. "They don't always have to combat. Research is all good for the State, too, as long as it can be beneficial in the long run. Besides, if you think that your skill is useless in combat, then you're dead wrong."

"Huh?"

"Let's see," Roy rubbed his chin, "you can make the image of pretty much anything as long as you have the energy to do it, correct? And I'm sure other things like the amount of water molecules present in the air and the lighting in the environment also has effect, but that's the gist of it. Was that right?"

"Well… yes, more or less," Mimosa nodded.

"Then I must tell you… it is a very valuable skill to have in the military."

"How so?"

"Say, if we happen to be in a war with a country and are about to launch an all-out attack… wouldn't it be much easier for us if we lower their morale with the image of a large army?"

Ives gaped, Mimosa gasped, and Havoc whistled in awe. "If I were in the opposing army I'd probably throw down my weapon and run away right then and there," he admitted shamelessly.

"You see, what people see have the power to change the course of a battle," Roy shrugged. "Of course it would be priceless to the State."

"But… it's not like I can do anything…"

"Is that so?" Roy sighed and turned away. "Well, that's a shame. I suppose prison or firing squad is inevitable for you two after all."

"Wait! We can do something, at least!" Ives desperately yelled. He turned to Mimosa right away. "Right?"

"W-well… if the situation is right, then it would be easy… I think…" Mimosa fidgeted nervously.

 _Another rung on a ladder to reach the top, obtained._ "I'm glad we're on the same track," Roy declared with a smile. "Of course, you will still be tried for your crimes, but offering to work for the State will be more than enough to help."

"But is it possible if I name my own conditions as well?" Mimosa asked immediately.

"I can't guarantee that it will be fulfilled, but name it and I'll see what I can do," Roy nodded.

Mimosa took a deep breath. "I'm sure… by now, you've already run a background check on me."

"Yes, I have."

"So you must know of my heritage."

"I do," Roy admitted. "Ives and Mimosa Fennel. Child of Poppy Fennel and Pasha Egorov. Part Amestrian and part Drachman."

"Our father… he is a renowned man in Drachma," Mimosa spoke quietly. "While his position in the Drachman royalty isn't really high, he had gained many allies in the past due to his carefree yet kind personality. The people loved him. Then he met an Amestrian maid, and… well, we were born."

Roy and Havoc shifted as Ives caught what his sister had planned to do and took his turn explaining. "In Drachma, marrying someone of a different status is highly frowned upon," he said. "While there is no actual law forbidding it, people will still speak. The support our father had gained began to dwindle over the years, and his popularity plummeted. In the end our family ended up being poor."

"Is that why you moved to Amestris?" Roy asked. "In hope for a better life?"

Curiously, Mimosa shook her head. "Even if we were poor we had each other. For us, it was enough, and Pa said he was about to leave politics anyway. He couldn't bear having to deal with sly snakes all the time." Her eyes darkened. "But for his enemies, it wasn't enough. They staged a crime and framed him. He was hanged for something he didn't commit."

"As if that's not enough, the Drachman authorities threw Ma in jail to rot," Ives snorted. "Apparently having the criminal persecuted isn't enough. His family needs to be cut down, too."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Roy offered his condolences, but it sounded hollow in his ears.

Mimosa shook her head. "The authorities relented on us. They let us go away. So we went to Amestris, but not before we met Borya. He… offered a job opportunity for us."

"Human trafficking," Havoc deduced correctly.

"What else could we do aside of accepting his request?" Ives asked desperately. "We were sixteen. We barely knew anything about Amestris. And… and Borya said we may be able to appease the Drachman authorities enough for them to release Ma."

"You still committed a crime," Roy harshly reminded them.

"We know that," Mimosa sighed dejectedly. "Just… my condition is to keep Ives with me. I don't want him thrown into jail."

"That should be easy to arrange," Roy nodded, and Ives gave a loud sigh of relief.

"And… is it possible to release Ma somehow?" Mimosa meekly asked.

Roy shook his head. "Not by way of joining the military. You will have to fight on your own. Our authority doesn't cover Drachma, I'm sure you know that." Upon receiving Mimosa's nod, he smiled. "Well then, Mister and Miss Fennel. I will arrange it so that you can join the examination right away. It's possible that you will be assigned under my care since I was the one to recommend you, if you were to pass."

"Thank you, Mr. Mustang," Ives told him sincerely, clearly grateful that the threat of death was off his neck.

"My pleasure," he answered truthfully. This was a risky move on his part, taking in criminals under his wing, but honestly? He was sure the impossible to handle Edward was the hardest hurdle he had ever had to face in his long career in the military. And he had been to Ishval. If that wasn't a testament of how hard it was to handle one boy, he wouldn't know what was.

Roy clicked his heel against the floor before turning away. "I should go. There are still things I need to do."

"Wait, Mr. Mustang. I have a question," Ives interjected. Upon Roy's silent beckon to continue, he asked, "What will happen to Mr. Lotus?"

"He will be tried for his crimes, same as you," Roy easily answered.

"Oh." Ives licked his lips. "Is it possible for us to go out for a while? To attend Fletcher's… uhm…" he swallowed hard.

"Yes, you may come to his funeral," Roy nodded, ignoring how the siblings winced at his words. "I have asked. It will be done tomorrow morning. I suggest you rest."

"Thank you," Mimosa muttered. In response to that, Roy nodded curtly and went out of the room.

He headed straight to the interrogation room, not to speak with Lotus but with Riza, who interrogated him before and was tasked to basically guard him. He opened the door to the room and came to the sight of Riza leaning to the wall right next to the door while the man was sitting down at his chair, head down, staring at the lacquered wood as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. He glanced at Riza and signaled her to come out.

She stepped out and Roy closed the door. "Did he say anything?" Roy asked immediately.

"He is prepared to face any and all consequences of his actions," Riza answered. "He was defensive at first and thought that Nash had it coming but in the end he admitted that he shouldn't have lost his cool. Though, I think it might also be because he thinks he has nothing else to fight for."

Roy nodded in understanding. "Well, the Fennels have agreed to my proposal. We'll need to arrange them to be moved soon. And I got a call from International Relations Department. They had discussed things with Drachma's ambassador. He was prepared to ask the higher-ups in Drachma to help search for the sold Amestrian. He was disgusted that the nobles could do such an act, apparently."

Riza nodded. "I hope they can find everyone."

"As do I," Roy agreed. "The Fennels want to attend Nash's funeral tomorrow. The Elrics will also be there. I want you to guard them with Havoc. I'll come with you. I'll have someone watch over Lotus."

"Yes, Sir," Riza nodded curtly.

They stood there for a while more, letting each other's' presence washing away their worries and relaxed their muscles. Not long after they parted ways, Roy to make sure the Elrics didn't make any trouble and Riza to guard Lotus once more. In all actuality, Roy had wanted to swap jobs with Riza, but the lieutenant wouldn't let him guard Lotus by himself.

* * *

The funeral was somber.

The townspeople attended the procession with grim realization. Their acting sheriff was one of the perpetrators of the disappearance of their children all along, and the mayor is responsible for his death. They came to the funeral procession to respect the dead, but not completely willingly, not after they found out what he did.

In the midst of it all stood Edward and Alphonse. They both stared at the freshly filled hole that Fletcher's body then resided in. Seeing Alphonse behaving so well in the procession wasn't something out of place as he was always a well-mannered child, but watching Edward in the same behavior felt really bizarre for Roy. In his mind, the boy clad in red was supposed to be loud, brash, and disrespectful. This version was so off from his own that it felt like a scene out of a dream.

Then he remembered that they both had lost their mother at a young age. Suddenly it wasn't as much absurdity as it was pity.

"Why do you think he did it?" Edward piped up all of a sudden.

"Who did what?" Roy asked back with a raised brow.

"Fletcher," Edward glanced at the tombstone. "Why did he say all those things?"

Roy stared at the tombstone for a while. "You know…" he started, "I spoke with the Fennels yesterday, as soon as they are put into custody. They said at first it was their idea to get children and young women to Borya so they can get money. Caster volunteered to help so that she can get her revenge. Nash… he joined in their plan just so Caster would be safe." He shrugged. "The way I see it, the pressure of it all finally became too much. Caster was gone, the other two of their group are arrested just like him, and he didn't really have any reason to really help them in the first place. Perhaps Lotus' questions finally drove him over the edge and he snapped."

"Why would anyone do such a thing if they never had any intention of it in the first place?" Alphonse muttered softly.

Roy shrugged. "Amazing how far someone will go to ensure their loved ones' safety, isn't it?"

Edward glanced at Alphonse discreetly. "I guess…"

"Let's get back," Roy told the brothers. "We will go back to Central soon to process those three. And you should get a new automail, too, but I'll need to take your statement first."

"Please, take as much time as you want," Edward told Roy with a pale face. Roy smirked in response. He had heard about how vicious Edward's mechanic could be whenever he as much as scratched the prosthetics. Given his track record, Roy wasn't surprised.

"Excuse me."

Roy turned, surprised to see one of the townspeople standing a few feet away from the boys. The young woman shifted her feet, took a deep breath, and handed an envelope to Edward.

"It's something we all wrote together last night," she spoke. "We didn't know how to say it directly. So we opted to write everything down instead."

Edward opened the envelope and took out the piece of paper inside. His eyes scanned the paper as Roy peeked at the content from the boy's shoulder. It was a letter of apology directed at both brothers, though mainly Edward. The young alchemist calmly folded the paper and put in back in the envelope before handing it back to the woman.

"The gesture is appreciated," he said. "I understand why you were hostile to me. You needed someone to blame and I happen to fit the bill. But I can't forgive you this easily."

The woman nodded. "We figured as much… we simply wanted to relay the message."

"I understand. Thank you for that."

The woman nodded again, dejected, and walked away. Roy watched her, although he glanced at Edward every now and then, impressed at how the boy handled the situation. By his side, Alphonse stared at Edward with something akin of disbelief, possibly surprised that Edward managed to handle the situation so civilly.

Edward turned to Fletcher's tombstone. "The dead can't come back and you've probably gone… but I need to get this off my chest." He eyed Alphonse and the younger brother nodded, pulling Roy away.

"Sorry, Colonel. Brother probably wants to yell or something," he apologized, and Roy complied.

But he could still hear Edward's words from afar. "You probably can't hear me… scratch that, you won't be able to, since you're already dead. But let me say this at least. I think… I understand why you did that. I have people I love too. I'd do anything to keep them safe, too. But I can't forgive you for what you've done, the same way that I can't forgive the townspeople. You've caused enough misery for these people. Death was probably your only escape." There was a snort. "Sometimes I wish it could be that simple for me. It's a shame god doesn't really like us."

With that, Edward Elric turned away from the grave and hobbled back to where Roy and Alphonse were waiting, eyes blazing as usual. "Come on. Let's go back."

* * *

A/N: finished at last! Woohoo!

I wanted a somber mood so that's how it's all wrapped up. If you feel curious, let me tell you this... If the story were to have another chapter, it would consist of Borya getting arrested, the Fennels working under one of the military big-shots (not Roy though. He's got Ed, the boy's a handful already), and most of the sold people are sent back home. Chrysan would be reunited with her baby and Cadie would go back to her house... only to know that her father was in jail. Agnes... she would still be a runaway. It's up to you to think what will happen to her.  
And a bit of something... If any of you ever wonder who the changeling in this story was, it refers to both Agnes and Mimosa. They did the disappearing while not actually being kidnapped. Faeling is, of course, Ed.

As for the reason why I write this kind of epilogue, it's because I want to create something that still kinda looks hopeful but not really... I mean life isn't really all sun and rainbows all the time, and Ed's still going to face all that fiasco with the Homunculi and nearly dying and everything. But life goes. He just gotta stand up and move forward.

Anyway, thanks so much for reading this story. Thanks, Brenne, for allowing me to write this. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it! It's been fun, and I'm honestly pleased at how it turns out to be.

Please let me know what you think about this. Leave a review! And hope you have a great day!


End file.
